Abstract
Frost heave of soil extensively exists in northern regions and poses a significant threat to infrastructure in cold regions. Despite over a century of research, challenges persist in numerically simulating frost heave. This study addresses two key issues: (1) What is the primary driving force for liquid water transfer during the freezing process? (2) How can we correctly represent unfrozen water content? Critical insights are derived from the theoretical analysis of coupled hydrothermal migration during soil freezing processes, followed by a case simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics. It concludes that of the water content gradient, suction gradient, and hydraulic gradient, only the hydraulic gradient is the fundamental driving force for liquid water flow. Moreover, unfrozen water content is an intrinsic property of frozen soil and should not be indirectly determined by assessing ice content. This study enhances our understanding of the frost heave mechanism and contributes to developing a unified model for frost heave.
Recommended Citation
A. Dong and X. Zhang, "Challenges in Numerical Simulation of Frost Heave," Geotechnical Special Publication, no. GSP 368, pp. 595 - 603, American Society of Civil Engineers, Jan 2025.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784486016.060
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
driving force; frost heave; unfrozen water content; water transfer
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0895-0563
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 American Society of Civil Engineers, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2025
