Comparative evaluation of the methods of assessing frost heave susceptibility

Abstract

Frost heave susceptibility (FHS) is a criterion to quantify the potential of soil to produce frost heave, which is widely applied in infrastructure construction in cold regions. Although more than 100 methods have been proposed to assess FHS, there are large discrepancies between the predicted and observed FHS, and their performance has not been systematically compared. Hence, this study summarizes the definitions, classifications, testing methods, advantages, and disadvantages of seven commonly used methods based on the following indices, i.e., fine content (USACE, 1984), segregation potential SP (Konrad, 1980), the R index (Teng et al., 2023), frost heave rate (ASTM D5918, 2013), frost heave ratio (GB-50324, 2014), frost heave (Roe and Webster, 1984), and frost heave slope p (NF P98–234-2, 1996). Comparative analysis of these methods shows that each method has its own applicable conditions. The key is to choose an appropriate method to assess FHS according to the specific conditions. Frost heave rate, frost heave, frost heave slope p, and the R are suitable for evaluating macroscopic frost heave. Segregation potential effectively describes the water flow velocity at the frozen fringe. Frost heave ratio characterizes both frost heave and frost depth. At the engineering scale, the fine content method offers significant advantages. Further analyses indicate that the R and p indices are the stable methods. Frost heave and frost heave ratio increase over time, while segregation potential and frost heave rate generally exhibit a decreasing trend. Methods with similar dimensions exhibit strong linear relationships between them, while those with different dimensions lack substantial relationships, making the comparison challenging. This paper may provide a reference for selecting a method to assess FHS.