Experimental study on rate of frost heave by artificial freezing

The developing characteristics of rate of frost heave of silty clay(undisturbed and disturbed) by artificial freezing are revealed,and different experimental results are compared.The influence of diverse experimental parameters on the rate of frost heave is analyzed and concluded.12 artificial freezing tests are performed on silty clay samples for this investigation,and the experimental parameters consist of two kinds of cooling temperature models for artificial freezing(sine-varying and constant),three kinds of freezing directions(vertical freezing,lateral freezing and vertical-lateral freezing),and different water contents(23.5%,28% and 32%),with or without water supply.It is significantly concluded that the existence of seasonal frozen layer will reduce or suppress the second frost heave caused by artificial ground freezing in the engineering projects.This study will provide significant instruction for the construction of artificial ground freezing,especially in seasonally frozen ground.