The use of foam glass to protect the degrading permafrost soils

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the use of foam glass to prevent the degradation of permafrost soils due to climate warming. In the Frost 3D software, for the conditions of Norilsk, a foam glass device for thermal insulation of a base composed of clayey soils, as well as transformed with the help of crushed stone or foam glass columns, was modeled without taking into account the thermal influence of the building. In addition, the insulation of the soils of the base transformed by columns in the ventilated underground of a new (in Yakutsk) and existing (in Norilsk) buildings designed according to the I principle of construction on permafrost soils was investigated. The forecast of the temperature distribution in the ground frozen base without taking into account the thermal influence of the building showed that in conditions of climate warming, the installation of thermal insulation of the base with the use of foam glass allows to reduce the thickness of the seasonally thawed layer by 0.3…0.4 m and reduce the temperature of permafrost. Foam glass can be used for thermal insulation of weak soil bases transformed with the help of crushed stone columns, as well as, in the future, as a material for the columns themselves. For a new building on a base transformed by crushed stone columns, covering the surface of the ventilated underground with a heat-insulating foam glass material during the warm season made it possible to significantly reduce the thickness of the seasonally thawed layer (by 0.9 m). The numerical simulation has shown the effectiveness of the use of foam glass to prevent the degradation of permafrost soils due to climate warming. Foam glass is a promising material for the development of technological measures that ensure the operability of the bases and foundations of buildings and structures at permafrost in the conditions of climate change.