RC-1619 - michigan.gov

1 PREDICTIVE MODELING OF FREEZING AND THAWING OF FROST-SUSCEPTIBLE SOILS Final Report Report Number: RC-1619 michigan Department of Transportation Office of Research Administration 8885 Ricks Road Lansing, MI 48909 By Gilbert Baladi and Pegah Rajaei michigan State University Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering 3546 Engineering Building East Lansing, MI 48824 September 2015 ii Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. RC-1619 2. Government Accession No. N/A 3. MDOT Project Manager Richard Endres 4. title and Subtitle Predictive Modeling of Freezing and Thawing of Frost-Susceptible Soils 5.

2 Report Date September 2015 6. Performing Organization Code N/A 7. Author(s) Gilbert Baladi and Pegah Rajaei michigan State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 8. Performing Org. Report No. N/A 9. Performing Organization Name and Address michigan State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 3546 Engineering East Lansing, michigan 48824 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) N/A 11. Contract No. 2010-0294 11(a). Authorization No. Z9 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address michigan Department of Transportation Research Administration 8885 Ricks Rd. Box 30049 Lansing MI 48909 13.

3 Type of Report & Period Covered Final Report 10/01/12 to 9/30/15 14. Sponsoring Agency Code N/A 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract Frost depth is an essential factor in design of various transportation infrastructures. In frost susceptible soils, as soils freezes, water migrates through the soil voids below the freezing line towards the freezing front and causes excessive heave. The excessive heave can cause instability issues in the structure, therefore predicting the frost depth and resulting frost heave accurately can play a major role in the design.

4 The objectives of this study are to develop accurate and reliable models for predicting frost depths and frost heave and to estimate the resulting heave pressure. The frost depth model was developed and verified using data from MDOT and Minnesota DOT. The frost heave model was also developed and verified using the available MDOT data. 17. Key Words Heat Transfer, Thermal Conductivity, Cumulative Freezing Index, Frost Depth, Analytical Models, Empirical Models, Frost Heave, , Heave Pressure, Frost Heave and Frost Depth Field Data 18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the michigan Department of Transportation.

5 19. Security Classification - report Unclassified 20. Security Classification - page Unclassified 21. No. of Pages 22. Price N/A iii Acknowledgement The authors like to thank the michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for the financial support and the MDOT staff for their cooperation and for providing soil samples and the soil temperature data. In addition the authors gratefully acknowledge the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) for providing the soil temperature data and for its assistance. Research Report Disclaimer This publication is disseminated in the interest of information exchange.

6 The michigan Department of Transportation (hereinafter referred to as MDOT) expressly disclaims any liability, of any kind, or for any reason, that might otherwise arise out of any use of this publication or the information or data provided in the publication. MDOT further disclaims any responsibility for typographical errors or accuracy of the information provided or contained within this information. MDOT makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding the quality, content, completeness, suitability, adequacy, sequence, accuracy or timeliness of the information and data provided, or that the contents represent standards, specifications, or regulations.

7 Iv Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction .. 1 Problem Statement .. 1 Study Objectives .. 1 Research Plan .. 2 Organization of this Report .. 3 Chapter 2 - Literature Review .. 4 Frost Depth .. 4 Numerical Models .. 4 Mechanistic Empirical Models .. 6 Empirical Models .. 11 Frost Heave .. 12 Capillary Theory .. 13 Frozen Fringe Theory .. 17 Frost Pressure .. 32 Thaw Depth and Seasonal Load Restrictions .. 34 Thaw Depth .. 34 Seasonal Load Restriction .. 36 3 - Data Mining .. 40 Data 40 Frost Depth Data .. 40 The State of 40 The State of Minnesota .. 46 Soil Properties Data.

8 46 Frost Heave Data .. 48 Chapter 4 - Analysis and Discussion of Frost Depth and Frost Heave .. 51 Introduction .. 51 UNSAT-H 51 Freezing Index and Freezing Degree Day Calculation .. 53 Minnesota Cumulative Freezing Degree Day .. 53 Boyd Cumulative Freezing Degree Day .. 54 v Existing Frost Depth Prediction Models .. 56 Stefan 56 Modified Berggren Equation .. 57 Chisholm and Phang Equation .. 63 Empirical Models .. 65 Thaw Depth .. 79 Calculation of Cumulative Thawing Degree day (CTDD) .. 79 Nixon and McRoberts Equation .. 79 Frost Heave.

9 79 Frost Heave Mitigation .. 86 Gilpin Frost Heave Model .. 92 Revised Frost Heave Model .. 96 Discussion of the Results of the Revised Frost Heave Model .. 97 Heave Pressure .. 104 Chapter 5 - Conclusions .. 108 Summary .. 108 Frost Depth Modeling .. 108 Thaw Depth Model .. 109 Frost Heave Model .. 109 Conclusions .. 109 Recommendation .. 110 References .. 112 Appendix A - Frost and Thaw Depth Analysis .. 119 Appendix B - Soil and Air Temperature Data .. 139 Appendix C - Frost Heave Stations 152 Appendix D - Unit Conversion .. 159 vii List of Tables Table 2-1 Reference temperature.

10 38 Table 2-2 CTDD threshold for posting 39 Table 3-1 RWIS stations in the State of michigan .. 42 Table 3-2 Data availability in each database .. 45 Table 3-3 Sensor use guide (Decagon Devices Inc., 2008) .. 47 Table 3-4 Measured thermal properties of different types of soil using KD2 Pro .. 49 Table 3-5 Measured total heave and frost depths in different soil types, I75, Oakland . 50 Table 4-1 Hydraulic and thermal properties for different layers in UNSAT-H model .. 52 Table 4-2 Cumulative freezing degree day calculation, Waters station, Lower Peninsula .. 54 Table 4-3 Maximum frost depth predicted by Stefan equation for RWIS stations.