Heaving Pressure Occurring at Frost Penetration in the Clay Soil in Confined Space

Abstract

The article describes the results of laboratory studies of the frost heaving pressure development at the clay soil freezing in confined space. Intensive construction of industrial and civil buildings in the North and North-East of Russia determines the relevance of research on the topic. The conducted studies allowed us to reveal the peculiarities of frost heaving pressure development, depending on the temperature conditions and physical properties of the clay soil, as well as possible heave deformations. The paper gives dependence of frost heaving pressure development during one-sided and uniform frost penetration in confined space on the degree of its water saturation, temperature conditions and possible deformations. It was revealed that in sandy soils, the formation of frost heaving pressure is caused by the freezing of free (gravitational) water and can be determined by the Bridgman-Tammann formula. In clay soils, the development of frost heaving pressure is associated with the freezing of loosely-bound (film) water and can be determined by the method that we propose both in the absence and in the presence of heaving volumetric deformation. The experimental technique that we offer makes it possible to analyze the development of the frost heaving pressure of the clay soil when it freezes in confined space.