SOIL MOISTURE TENSION AND ICE SEGREGATION

This paper deals with some of the fundamental aspects of frost actions in soils. It is suggested that the freezing point depression at the ice-water interface determines the soil moisture tension which acts as the driving force during frost heaving. The dimensions of the soil pores are responsible, at least in part, for the induced freezing point depression when a saturated soil specimen is frozen unidirectionnally. Moisture tensions in excess of 8,000 cm of water have been measured in closed systems containing fine-grained soils after heaving approached zero, but are much less in coarse-grained soils. Blended soils covering a wide textural range as well as fine Ottawa sand were used to prepare a series of test specimens. In general, the experimental findings are in harmony with the suggested theory.