Abstract
When permafrost thaws, consolidation occurs under surcharge loads, leading to settlement which is one of the largest threats to infrastructures constructed in permafrost regions. This paper proposes a three dimensional thaw consolidation theory combining Biot’s consolidation theory with heat conductive equations considering ice-water phase change effects through specific heat. Numerical simulation was implemented. The theory was verified by comparing the degree of consolidation and pore pressure ratio calculated by this theory with that from closed form solutions for a simplified one dimensional problem. Thaw consolidation tests were carried out on frozen soil samples with four water contents and under two surcharge loads. Strains occurring in the tests were compared with those from the numerical calculations. It is found that with low water contents in the frozen soil, strain from thaw consolidation was relatively small, and was well simulated by the proposed theory. With increase in water content of frozen soils, the discrepancy between calculated and test results increases.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
An, W. D. (1989). The interactions of frozen soils temperature, moisture and stress, Lanzhou University Press, Lanzhou, China (in Chinese).
Berilgen, S. A., Berilgen, M. M., and Ozaydin, I. K. (2006). “Compression and conductivity relationships in high water content clays.” Applied Clay Science, Vol. 31, Nos. 3–4, pp. 249–261.
Biot, M. A. (1973). “Non-linear and semi-linear rheology of porous solids.” Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 78, No. 23, pp. 4924–4937.
Chang, C. S. and Duncan, J. M. (1983). “Consolidation analysis for partly saturated clay by using an elastic-plastic effective stress-strain model.” International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 39–55.
Cheng, G. D. and Yang, C. S. (2006). “Mechanics related with frozen ground in construction of Qinghai-Tibet railway.” Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 1–8 (in Chinese with English Abstract).
Gibson, R. E., England, G. L., and Hussey, M. J. L. (1967). “The theory of one dimensional consolidation of saturated clays: I. Finite nonlinear consolidation of thin homogeneous layers.” Geotechnique, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 261–273.
Gibson, R. E., Schiffman, R. L., and Cargill, K. W. (1981). “The theory of one dimensional consolidation of saturated clays: II. Finite nonlinear consolidation of thick homogeneous layers.” Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 280–293.
Itasca (1999). Flac manual: Theoretical background, Itasca Consulting Group, Inc. Minnesota, USA.
Liu, Y. Z., Wu, Q. B., Zhang, J. M., and Sheng, Y. (2002). “Deformation of highway roadbed on permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.” Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 10–15 (in Chinese with English Abstract).
Liu, Z. Q. and Zhou, C. Y. (2005). “One-dimensional non-linear large deformation consolidation analysis of soft clay foundation by FDM.” ACTA Science Arum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni, Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 25–29 (in Chinese with English Abstract).
Morgenstern, N. R. and Nixon, J. F. (1971). “One dimensional consolidation of thawing soils.” Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 558–565.
Qi, J. L., Sheng, Y., Zhang, J. M., and Wen, Z. (2007). “Settlement of embankments in permafrost regions in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.” Nowegian Journal of Geography, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp. 49–55.
Sykes, J. F., Lennox, W. C., and Charlwood, R. G. (1974). “Finite element permafrost thaw settlement model.” Journal of Geotechnical Engineering Division, Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 100, No. GT 11, pp. 1185–1201.
Xie, X. Y., Zhu X. R., Xie K. H., and Pan, Q. Y. (1997). “New Developments of one-dimensional large strain consolidation theories.” Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 30–38 (in Chinese with English Abstract).
Xu, X. Z., Wang, J. C., and Zhang, L. X. (2001). Frozen soil physics, Science Press, Beijing, China (in Chinese).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Qi, J., Yao, X. & Yu, F. Consolidation of thawing permafrost considering phase change. KSCE J Civ Eng 17, 1293–1301 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-013-0240-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-013-0240-1