A macroscopic frost heave model with more clear parameters was established. Based on a porosity rate frost heave model and segregation potential theory, a porosity rate function was deduced and introduced into the stress-strain relationship. Numerical simulation was conducted and verified by frost heave tests. Results show that the porosity rate within the frozen fringe is proportional to the square of temperature gradient and current porosity, and is also proportional to the exponential function of applied pressure. The relative errors between the calculated and measured results of frost depth and frost heave are within 3% and 15% respectively, demonstrating that the temperature gradient, applied pressure and current porosity are the main influencing factors, while temperature is just the constraint of frozen fringe. The improved model have meaningful and accessible parameters, which can be used in engineering with good accuracy.
To investigate the frost-heave properties of silty clay under the combination action of seasonal freezing and artificial freezing, and verify the feasibility of combined freezing, eight combined freezing experiments were performed on silty clay with water content (mass fraction) of 23.5% and 28.0%, through developed frost-heave test apparatus, in closed or open system. Two sorts of freezing temperature models, namely, constant and sine models, were applied to artificial freezing. The experimental results indicate that the frost-heave degree in seasonal freezing stage accounts for over 90% of the total in open system and it is up to 95% in closed system; the change of artificial sine-freezing temperature has no influence on the frost-heave degree in closed system, however, slight influence in open system. It is found that the variation of temperature gradient of sine-freezing specimen lags behind that of sine-freezing temperature with half phase; sine-freezing temperature model can reduce frost-heave degree of soil. Brand new technology is proposed for the application of artificial ground freezing and new study field of artificial freezing is created.
