Multiphysics Simulation of Frost Heave in Unsaturated Road Systems Under Covering Effect
Abstract
The frost heave of road systems under the covering effect involves the coupled transport of water, heat, and gas, along with the dynamic phase transition of water, vapor, and ice, resulting in a complex multi-physical field coupling process. This study presents a multi-physics numerical model to investigate the frost heave process of road systems in cold regions. The model not only considers the pavement covering effect and the multi-layered structure of the road, but also represents the multi-field coupling and multiphase transitions involved in the system. The model validation is conducted by comparing it with experimental results from a well-documented sample experiment, which simplifies the initial and boundary conditions of the road system calculation profile model. Following the multi-field coupling analysis, a parametric analysis is conducted to explore the impact of different roadbed parameters on the covering effect. Special attention is given to the effects of initial moisture content, temperature gradient, cooling rate, and compactness of fillers on the frost heave process. The results show that the migration and phase transition of vapor impact the freezing process of road systems. In the stable phase of the freeze process, the moisture content at the top of the road substantially exceeds the initial level, a phenomenon driven by vapor migration. This multi-physics simulation can potentially serve as a guidance for studying the frost heave mechanism of road systems in cold regions.
Recommended Citation
L. Li et al., "Multiphysics Simulation of Frost Heave in Unsaturated Road Systems Under Covering Effect," Transportation Geotechnics, vol. 51, article no. 101526, Elsevier, Mar 2025.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2025.101526
Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Covering effect; Frost heave; Multi-layered road system; Multiphase transitions; Multiphysics simulation
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2214-3912
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Mar 2025
Comments
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Grant 300102214303