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Centrifuge and numerical modeling of the frost heave mechanism of a cold-region canal

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Abstract

In cold regions, frozen soil is common and causes various forms of frost damage to engineering projects, particularly canals constructed in seasonally frozen ground. The freezing and frost heave processes are complicated, involving heat transfer, water migration, water–ice phase change, ice accumulation and frost heave deformation. To study the frost heave mechanism of cold-region canals, a centrifuge model of a canal in a freezing environment was constructed and used to simulate canal temperature, water and deformation changes. The experimental and numerical results show that the canal temperature decreases rapidly, forming a substantial temperature gradient in the ground. Driven by the temperature gradient, a portion of the pore water migrates, while other pore water in the freezing zone becomes ice. These phenomena are responsible for the frost heave deformation of the canal model. Generally, the vertical displacement at the top of the canal and the horizontal deformation in the middle-low part of the canal slope are larger than those in other zones, and frost damages occur more easily in these zones. Therefore, to ensure safe operation, these zones should be closely monitored. This study is expected to help the engineer understand the frost heave mechanism of cold-region canals and to design a scientific anti-frost canal. Additionally, the centrifuge and numerical models and results in this study may serve as references for further research.

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Fig. 1
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Note: 1—model box; 2—heat exchange board; 3—condenser; 4—condenser; 5—water pump; 6—water pump; 7—water inlet; 8—water outlet; 9—water tank; ⇀—flow direction

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41672315), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC0405101), the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (QYZDY-SSW-DQC015), the West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Dr. Shuangyang Li), the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (2015349), and the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering (SKLFSE-ZY-18). We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions that were used to improve the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China

    Shuangyang Li, Yuanming Lai, Mingyi Zhang, Wansheng Pei & Fan Yu

  2. Geotechnical Engineering Department, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China

    Chen Zhang

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  1. Shuangyang Li
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Correspondence to Mingyi Zhang.

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Li, S., Lai, Y., Zhang, M. et al. Centrifuge and numerical modeling of the frost heave mechanism of a cold-region canal. Acta Geotech. 14, 1113–1128 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-018-0710-1

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