Soil freezing characteristics versus heat extraction rate

The processes that are operative during fine-grained soil freezing with no applied surcharge are described and related to the rate of net heat extraction. One-dimensional frost heave experiments were carried out on a Canadian silty soil under various freezing conditions. It was established that the segregational heave rate is strongly dependent on the rate of heat removal. No water flow was observed at heat extraction rates between 0.35 and 0.45 mW/mm[2]. Maximum segregational heave rates occurred at rates of about 0.1 mW/ mm[2]. For the same soil, however, significant variations in segregational heave rates were measured for a given heat removal rate during transient freezing. Frost heave predictions using freezing tests at rates of heat extraction representative of field conditions are also discussed.
Reprinted from "ASME Winter Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA, December 1984, Heat Transfer Division, Pamphlet Paper No. 84-WA/HT-108, 7p.">