• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.37-45
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• 2017

Structural instability and damage are caused by frost heave during the winter when atmospheric temperature maintains below $0^{\circ}C$. Frost heave is the most representative engineering characteristics of frozen ground and there are various frost susceptibility criteria. Frost susceptibility criteria can be roughly divided into three categories. First, frost susceptibility is determined from particle size distribution, which is practically useful and many countries are adopting. In this paper, several particle size distributions (PSDs) are applied to the frost susceptibility criteria but PSD seems to be not enough to determine whether soils are frost susceptible. Second, it is judged from laboratory frost heave testing results. Laboratory frost heave tests were performed with newly developed thermal controlled triaxial cell and the reliability of frost susceptibility criteria is evaluated. New testing apparatus and method are suitable to meet the existing frost susceptibility criteria. Third, it is compositive frost susceptibility criteria envelope including the particle size distribution, soil classification, and frost heave test. The compositive frost susceptibility criteria envelope should be supplemented based on additional data on various soil types.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.39-48
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• 2023

Over 100 countries have conducted research on experimental testing methods to assess the frost susceptibility of soils. This study aims to prevent structural damage caused by frost heave. Notably, the United States and Japan, which encompass cold regions such as Alaska and Hokkaido, have actively pursued frost heave research. Through laboratory investigations and field applications, standard testing methods and criteria for evaluating frost susceptibility have been established. However, these methods are complex and their engineering explanations are vague. This study closely compares and analyzes the frost-susceptibility testing methods proposed by ASTM and JGS, considering temperature conditions, specimen size, freezing direction, and drainage conditions. By conducting this comparative analysis, this study aims to shed light on the similarities and differences between the two methods. Furthermore, based on the findings, this study proposes future research guidance for refining frost-susceptibility testing methods and criteria.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2019

Frost heave is one of the representative engineering characteristics in cold regions. In South Korea, which is located in seasonal frost area, structural damage caused by frost heave and thaw happens and the need for research on the frost heave is increasing. In this paper, newly developed transparent temperature-controllable cell is used to focus on the frost heave. Frost susceptible artificial soil is used to analyze water intake rate which is one of the important factors in frost susceptibility criteria. Frost heave rate and water intake rate have similar behavior after heave by freezing of pore water converges. O-ring installed in the upper pedestal to measure water intake rate generates side friction between the inner wall of the freezing cell and O-ring, thereby hindering frost heave. Therefore, the frost susceptibility criteria using the water intake rate is not reliable. It is appropriate to use frost heave rate which has similar behavior with water intake rate. Frost heave tests were performed under two different specimen heights. Overburden pressure, temperature gradient and dry unit weight were set under similar state. Based on laboratory testing results, frost heave is independent on the specimen height.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.27-40
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• 2021

The construction method to prevent the frost heave or thaw settlement is called the ground stabilization method, and the thermo-syphon is one of the typical ground stabilization methods. The thermo-syphon has recently been developed with a simple analysis model and thermal analysis has been carried out, but the frost heave of frost susceptible soil was not considered. This study was conducted using ABAQUS internal user subroutine to develop the numerical analysis model (Coupled thermo-mechanical) that can simultaneously perform thermal analysis for the temperature change of the soil according to the thermo-syphon and structural analysis to predict the frost heave of the soil accordingly. As a result of the numerical analysis, the frost heave of the soil decreased as the performance of the thermo-syphon increased. As for the main results, when the thermo-syphon which has contain 25%, 50%, and 100% of refrigerant filling ratio was applied, the reduction ratio of the frost heave was 5.5%, 14.4%, and 21% respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.49-60
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• 2020

A fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model is established to evaluate frost heave behaviour of saturated frost-susceptible soils. The method is based on mass conservation, energy conservation, and force equilibrium equations, which are fully coupled with each other. These equations consider various physical phenomena during one-dimensional soil freezing such as latent heat of phase change, thermal conductivity changes, pore water migration, and the accompanying mechanical deformation. Using the thermo-hydro-mechanical model, a sensitivity analysis study is conducted to examine the effects of the geotechnical parameters and external conditions on the amount of frost heave and frost heaving rate. According to the results of the sensitivity analysis, initial void ratio significantly affects each objective as an individual parameter, whereas soil particle thermal conductivity and temperature gradient affect frost heave behaviour to a greater degree when applied simultaneously. The factors considered in this study are the main factors affecting the frost heaving amount and rate, which may be used to determine the frostbite sensitivity of a new sample.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2009

A new system of modified freeze-thaw testing apparatus is introduced. This system is developed to evaluate the geotechnical parameters and their dependence upon freezing-thawing history of frost-susceptibility soil. A necessary condition for stationary frost heaving is clarified in this paper. The method changes the thermal boundary condition up to the net heat flow at the freezing frost becomes zero. The effectiveness of this method is verified by freeze-thaw tests. Frost heaving observed after the application of the method is found to be due to another frost heaving action called long-term frost heaving. This frost heaving has already been studied and is considered ignorable as engineering factor because of its small heaving amount.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.47-56
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• 2021

The cryosuction (negative pore pressure) in freezing soils causes groundwater migration from the frozen fringe to freezing front for ice lens formation. Frost heave and heaving pressure by ice lens cause damage to ground infrastructure. In order to prevent damage by the frost heave, various frost susceptibility criteria have been proposed. The SP (Segregation Potential) is the most widely used classification criterion for frost susceptibility in cold regions. The expansion of the ice lens by the migration of the groundwater is a key role in frost heave mechanism, and thus it is necessary to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity. In this paper, soil mixtures of coarse-fines (sand-silt) were prepared in various weight fractions and used for frost heave and column permeability test. For each case, the SP and the hydraulic conductivity were derived and correlations were analyzed. As a results, the transition threshold of the SP and the hydraulic conductivity were shown at 20% and 50% of the silt weight fraction, respectively. Although there are difference between these transition thresholds, these two coefficients show a specific correlation. In the future, additional study should be conducted for detailed analysis of the threshold transition values between SP and hydraulic conductivity.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.71-80
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• 2010

Korea is considered to be a seasonal frozen soil area that thaws in the spring, and freezes in winter. In the current design codes for anti-freezing layer, the thickness of anti-freezing layer is calculated by the depth frozen due to the temperature condition. Therefore, there is a tendency of over-design and applying uniform thickness without the consideration of thermal stability, bearing capacity and frost susceptibility of materials. So, it is essential to study the structural appropriateness of pavement layer and bearing capacity besides the seasonal and mechanical properties of pavement materials to take an appropriate and reasonable design of the road structure. In this paper, the evaluation of frost susceptibility on subgrade, ant-freezing layer, subbase was conducted by means of the mechanical characteristics and model experiment. The temperature, heaving amount, unfrozen water contents and freezing depth of soil samples, the subgrade, anti-freezing layer, subbase soils of road construction site were measured to determine the frost susceptibility.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.5-16
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• 2012

The second scientific antarctic station of South Korea is under construction at Terra Nova Bay located in eastern Antarctica. Ground condition in the Antarctica is frozen in general, but there are seasonal frozen grounds with active layers sporadically. When the active layer is frozen, frost heaving occurs that might cause the differential movement of frozen ground and the failure of structures. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the frost heaving susceptibility of soils at Terra Nova Bay before starting antarctic station construction. This study presents experimental investigation of the frost heaving susceptibility of soil samples with variation of particle sizes and unfrozen water contents. The soil samples were taken from five different locations at Terra Nova Bay and physical properties, unfrozen water content, and frost heaving tests were performed. For the frost heaving tests, soil specimens were frozen with constant freezing temperatures at the top and with drainage at the bottom in order to stimulate the frost heaving. The frost heaving tests provide volume expansion, volumetric strain, and heaving rate which can be used to analyze the relationship between the frost heaving vs. particle size and the frost heaving vs. unfrozen water content. Experimental results show that the more the fine contents exist in soils, the more frost heaving occurs. In addition, the frost heaving depends on unfrozen water content. Experimental data can be used to evaluate the frost heaving susceptibility of soils at the future construction site in the Antarctica.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.13-23
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• 2013

The Korean Peninsula is considered as a seasonal frozen area that is thawed in the spring and frozen in the winter. The influence of fines of the frost susceptibility of subgrade soils were established by laboratory freezing tests simulating closely the thermal conditions in the field. During the winter season, the climate is heavily influenced by the cold and dry continental high pressure. Because of siberian air mass, the temperature of January is $-6{\sim}-7^{\circ}C$ on average. This chilly weather generate the frost heaving by freezing the moisture of soil and damage potential of the geotechnical structure. In the freezing soil, the ice lenses increase the freeze portion of soil by absorbing the ground water with capillary action. However, the capillary characteristics differ from the sort of soil on the state of freezing condition. In this study, ten soil samples are prepared. The basic physical property tests were performed by following the Korean Industrial Standard and the soil specimens were classified by the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). These classified soils are used to perform the laboratory opened systems freezing test in order to determine the frost heaving characteristics of soils such as unfrozen water content, heaving amount, and freezing depth.