South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Electronic Theses and Dissertations 1958 Frost Action in Soils Mustata Sevket Safak Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd Recommended Citation Safak, Mustata Sevket, "Frost Action in Soils" (1958). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2535. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/2535 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FROST ACTI011 IN $OILS By Mustafa Sevket Sa£sk A 1n thesisof sUbmittedrequirements tor the partialdegree tulf1llmentMaster ot Science the at South Dakota · Stateand co110ge Meehanic or Agriculture Arts � April, 1958 .10.UJHJ2MQJ�,SJ�IE CO\.Ll:GE UJ�aRAF'" This thesis is approved as a creditable, independent investigation by a candidate for the degree, Master of Science, and acceptable as meet­ ing the thesis requirements for this degree; but without implying that the conclusions reached by the candidate a� necessarily the conclusions of the major department. ii fb ·.,.-tter w.t.she.s .to $Spr·eas bia appre,etatton to .)):,of,. · .r, a. ,Sohnson, Be'ad or t·ne Qivtl lng.1aee-•1ns tie· .ttmoat ·t ,South Daket·a State Coll· ge., Brook:tnC•·• South llakot. • to•, bu belptu1 suggestion$ -and or1tto·te rel.atlve to t.he- pr·ep.u,at1011 at tllis 't11)de�tatng. 111 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION•••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••• , •• l II. EFFECTS OF FROST ACTION ON ROADS•••• •.••• , ••••6 8 Facto.rs Contributing to Damage••• • ••••••••• Magnitude Frost Heaving on Roads,, .••• •·• or .8 NatUl'e of Frost Boils............... ,�.,, •••• 10 Reduction 1n Load Carrying capacity•• !It ••• ,13 Load Carrying Cap�city Tests, •••. .•• , •• � ••••18 III. SOIL TEA"TURE••••••• • • • .....• • •. • •· •••• •. •, • • •••19 Gta1n Size and Frost Action•••••••••• ••••• 19 Frost Bea�ing So11s•••••··••····••·••••�••2l The Determination of Soil Texture•• •••••••24 IV• SOIL MOISTURE•• • , � •••••••• •• •••••••• •• •.� •• •. :t1 Hygroscopic Water•• ,•. •.,. •••••••••• •••• " •••., 28 Gap1llary Water • .,•••••••••••••• � .• •••• _.••• • 29 Gravitational Water••• , •••••••••••••••••••30 Moisture Movement 1n Soils••••••• , ••••• .••• 31 The Process o� Soil Freezing... ............3 5 6 P!,,eez1ng of Pine Grained Soils •••••••••••• 3 beezing or Coarse Grained So11s•••••••••• i.o Measurement o£ Soil Moiswre•••••••••••••• 4-1 t. SOIL 'tmP:i&TO'RB.•. • •••••••••••••••••••• ......,41,. Soll Moisture ·eontent. � ..............·••••••• i.6 Thermal Properties or Solls........ : •• ;;;�.48 Theorot1cal Basis for Heat 1'ransfer.. ...; •• ,1+9 !be Steady..Stato Fl.ow of Heat.•.•.•· •••• .,..'1 Heat Conduction Ui the 'Unsteady ·state ......;3 Beumarin•s Theory....... • ............�.; • · •.•••·... J'S Determination ot Frost Depth••• • ••• • ,; ..; ,· .'• ;6 Frost Penetration Undet- Bituminous Pavement.s.............. ,, .................· ••• ;9 VI•· PERMAFROST•; • •• • • • ••• • ••• • •• • • ..........• • • • •.• •62 Areas••• .......................• ........; ...•. 6; Oonstl"lletion 1n Permatrojt ......................6? 70 x VIl. SOME REME:DIAL MEASURES.......... •· .............. Re1ocaticn or Route.. •, .........., ............ 71 Oh-emlcal Treatment of Soils............. , ...·._ 72 Dra1na_ge••••• • ........• •••• • ....... � •••• , •• •.?3 Replacement of Pro::at-Busceptible &11.s... ,.76 InSUlation Courses and Membranes•••• •• • ....71 LITERATURE CITED.�••••.. •• .. •••••• ..•••• ..•• .......80 V TABLE OF FIOURES n,gure ™'' l Map showing or1t1cal index line tor high\!Tay ground freezing based on most ad•erse existing condit! ons •••••••••••••••••••••••••••� indepen- 2 G:raph sboWing that frost heave is dent or rate offt'oez1.ng••• • ••••••••• •••.••. •.• ._.9 3 Relation between rate or frost hoave o.nd capillary pressure •••. •••••••••••••••••••• ;., '.-ll 4 Bearing vaJ.uo of ditferant classes of soils 1n Nebraska, 1952. •••••••• •••••••••. •·•·•·•• ..... ,15 , Average ot ten bearing capac1ty tests 1n North Dakota, 194.9,............ ........... •••• 17 6a Textural classit1cat1on ebart••••••••••••• ·., ,26 6b Textura1 class1f1cat1on chart.......... �:.:.,.26 7 Physical conditions of soil particles effecting water adsorption•••••••••• ••••••• �.33 8 Relation between heat condul;t�l\ty eoetr1c1ent and the density or snow••••• ••• �.47 9 Effect or moisture content on volume and thermal behavior of a coarse quartz po.tez-,•• ;o 10 Permarrost terminology•••••••••••• ••••• �•••••64 11 Ef'fect ot tile drains upon the ground water table••·•••·••••••••••••••·•••·•••·••·•·••·••1$ .,, vi - --' l Il�TRODUCTlO?J Frost action generally is used, 1n its broad sense, to incltlde any detrimental effect on engineering works resulting from the penetration of trost belov the surface or the ground. Considerable damage is done to roads, airfie lds, bridges, culverts, pipelines and buildings in regions where the ground and the climatological conditions are favorable to ground tree·zil'lg and thawing. The writer has reviewed most or the available material pertaining to frost action 1n an effort to pres«"lt the problem in an authentic manner, simple, yet reasonably up to date in theory and application. 'This , �.. study has boon made. fro m the stand--point of a highway engineer, since the interests of structural engineers and agt'onomists m:ight be somewhat different. The body of the study is divided into s1x chapters. In chapter l, the problem is presented \\11th particular emphasis on damages and reduction of load carrying oapac1 ties 1n roads due to frost aotionJ also, the nature and the f"actors of frost notion are introduced. tn chapter II, ono of th.e most important prerequisites for f'rost action, namaly the soil textttte, is discussed, In Chapter III, sou moisture, 1n the fol'Dl of liquid, .ll, 2 solid ·ana gas is discussed. Chapter IV deals tdt-h soil temperatures. Both internal and external f'aotors, eft�ct1ng heat conductivity, and heat capacity of soils are discussed. Chapter V gives some basic 1ntormt1m about permafrost. Chapter VI briefiy mentions some or the remedies that could be takan against :frost action. The study of frost action is a recent one; although ground f'reezing and heaving was lmown be.fore the seventeenth oectury. During the stage c-0acb traffic period or the 1700• s people observed the damage enused to culverts and roads as a result of frost heaving. Only r-ec<mtly, due to the tremendous gro'-<lth of automobile transportation the technical problem or frost action on roads ms become practically and ecoe1om1cally­ s1.gnif'1c�t. Early in the 1920rs jnvest1gat1ons relative to f'rost action began in dif'fe.tent count.i-1�•• Present concepts of frost heaving ·wePe developed by Lavelle, Beckor and Day, and finally Taber.. In 1916, Ta'berl concluded that heaving was caused by the growth of into lenses layers of the ice crystals or iee. T�s is present concept of frost heaving. Some early field studies in the United States ot consisted soil mo1sture content measurements, In the •s early 1920 an experimental road l[as constructed to ti€ lstaf'en Tabor "The Growth Crystals Unoer External Pressurej American Journal or So1anoe, Vol. 16, 1916, PP• 54'-+-5'+5 3 investigate soil heaving by the Illinois Department ot Highways. Highway M1ch1gan Department•s studies were also the started 1n the early 1920• s. They broughtout relat1()1'l between soil type, profile charactQrist1es, soil water eonditions and b3aving.. The study of frost action in Sweden started at about the same time as in the United States. Norveg1an investigations were carried out by Riise, Dahle and Brudal!J Recently Germany ha$ also beoome interested 1n riost-act1on problems.on road.a. l h1ghway In 1930, Sourw.tne , a enginoer, lnte�related trost occUPanoe to the climatological ttecor·ds1 as a moans ot determination o'.f prob:l.ble ground freezing occuranoe. {See figt:i,re 1). � Extensive investigations of frost action bf the C:orps- of Img1ne(')rs which were begun 1n 194-5 coneti tutes the most comprehensive field ond laboratory studies or frost action eonducted in this countl'y. Outside the United States th� vork of Beskow or Sweden stands high with its original and thorwgb treatment of the pl"Oblem. The phenomenon o.f frost action 1n $01ls is very lJ,. A. Sollr\dne, "A Method �� Anal.y$1s ot Data on Frost Oc-curnn�e ror Use 1n High,my Design" Public Roods, Vol. 11, 1930, pp. 51-60. � 4 FIGURE 1. Map showing critical index line for highway ground freezing, based on moat adverse existing conditions. (From Sourwine) It/' .., ,.,,_;. --- ---- ------- - - _J complex and the investigations are usually oonducteda (1) to study the various f"actorn related with so11...mo1sture and temperature, (2) to know more about tho partioulArly frost susceptible soils under freez1ne oonditions, and- (3) to provide observations and test data to establish a method tor tho e�aluation cf frost danger to subgrade; base and subbase courses. 6 CH.A.P'l'ER It EFFECTS OF FRO ST ACTION ON ROADS lt is a known fact tho. t frost action contributes cona1derably to the rapid de terioration ot highways, Pavements are frequently br oken up or sevei-el.y damnged as the