RESEARCH INTO A THEORETICAL EQUATION FOR FROST HEAVE

RESEARCH ON A METHOD TO LIMIT SIDE-WALL FRICTION IN FROST HEAVE TEST CELLS AND THE USE OF RESISTIVITY TO DETECT THE FREEZING ISOTHERM ARE PROPOSED SO THAT SYSTEMATIC AND STANDARDIZED TESTING OF FROST HEAVE CAN BE DONE. THE ABILITY TO OBTAIN GOOD DATA ON THE IMPORTANT PARAMETERS OF PRESSURE AND RATE OF FROST PENETRATION WILL ENABLE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TO BE MADE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A THEORETICAL EQUATION FOR THE PREDICTION OF FROST HEAVE. VALIDATION OF THE RIGID-ICE THEORY FOR FROST HEAVE WILL BE ATTEMPTED. A STACKED RING CELL (TO ELIMINATE SIDE-WALL FRICTION) WILL BE DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED. INSTRUMENTATION IN SOME OF THERINGS WILL CONSIST OF THERMISTORS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF TEMPERATURES, RESISTIVITY SENSORS TO DETECT THE FORMATION OFTHE FIRST ICE AND HENCE THE FREEZING ISOTHERM, AND POSITION LOCATION SENSORS TO TRACK THE MOVEMENT OF THE RINGS AND HENCE THE MOVEMENT OF THE TEMPERATURE AND RESISTIVITY SENSORS. TWO FROST HEAVE TESTS WILL BE DONE USING THE RAMPED TEMPERATURE METHOD TO DEMONSTRATE THAT ALL THE SYSTEMS FUNCTION AS DESIGNED. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THIS NEW CELL, TOGETHER WITH THE RAMPED TEMPERATURE METHOD, WILL BE ADOPTEDBY OTHER RESEARCHERS AS THE STANDARD FOR FROST HEAVE TESTING.