Engineered water repellency to mitigate freeze thaw damages in soils

IF 3.8 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CIVIL

Cold Regions Science and Technology Pub Date : 2025-07-07 DOI:10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104603

Mohammad Wasif Naqvi , Md Fyaz Sadiq , Bora Cetin , Micheal Uduebor , John Daniels

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The freezing of water in soil induces heaving, altering its structure, strength, and stiffness, which compromises pavement integrity. Midwestern U.S., where frost depth reaches 91 cm, heaving can exceed 64 cm, and subsequent thawing destabilizes the soil, increasing pavement failures and maintenance costs. Diverse measures are utilized to reduce the impact of frost heave and thaw settlement, including structural adaptations and neutralization methods, such as insulating pavements and modifying soil. Engineered water repellency can significantly limit water movement, a key factor in frost action, preventing ice segregation. This study evaluates Organosilanes (OSs), silica-based coupling agents that imparts hydrophobicity in soil, for reducing frost heave in highly frost-susceptible subgrade soils. Four distinct subgrade soils with high susceptibility to frost were treated with two different concentrations of OSs and underwent tests to measure frost heave and thaw weakening. The freeze-thaw performance of untreated and treated soils was assessed based on maximum heave, heave rate, moisture distribution, and water intake. The application of the OS-treated soil results in a reduction of the maximum soil heave by up to 96 % and 90 % using OS1 and OS2, respectively. The effectiveness of heave mitigation typically improves as the concentration of the chemical increases. Post-test moisture content in treated soils was significantly lower than in untreated soils, with water migration reduced by up to 97 %. By incorporating water repellency into pavement soils, it is possible to avoid freeze-thaw damage, maintain consistent moisture levels, enhance performance, minimize design uncertainties, reduce expenses related to materials and construction, and decrease emissions.

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工程防水，以减轻冻融损害的土壤

水在土壤中的冻结引起起伏，改变其结构、强度和刚度，从而损害路面的完整性。在美国中西部，霜冻深度达到91厘米，隆起可能超过64厘米，随后的融化会破坏土壤的稳定，增加路面的损坏和维护成本。各种措施被用来减少冻胀和融化沉降的影响，包括结构调整和中和方法，如绝缘路面和修改土壤。工程防水可以显著限制水的运动，这是霜作用的关键因素，防止冰分离。本研究评估了有机硅烷（OSs），硅基偶联剂，赋予土壤疏水性，以减少高度霜冻易感路基土壤的冻胀。用两种不同浓度的OSs处理4种不同的易冻性地基土，并进行了冻胀和融化弱化试验。根据最大升沉、升沉率、水分分布和吸水量对未处理和处理土壤的冻融性能进行了评估。使用OS1和OS2处理过的土壤，最大土壤隆起量分别减少了96%和90%。随着化学物质浓度的增加，缓解起伏的效果通常会提高。试验后处理过的土壤含水量明显低于未处理过的土壤，水分迁移减少了97%。通过在路面土壤中加入防水性，可以避免冻融损坏，保持一致的湿度水平，提高性能，最大限度地减少设计不确定性，减少与材料和施工相关的费用，并减少排放。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Cold Regions Science and Technology 工程技术-地球科学综合

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

12.20%

发文量

209

审稿时长

4.9 months

期刊介绍： Cold Regions Science and Technology is an international journal dealing with the science and technical problems of cold environments in both the polar regions and more temperate locations. It includes fundamental aspects of cryospheric sciences which have applications for cold regions problems as well as engineering topics which relate to the cryosphere. Emphasis is given to applied science with broad coverage of the physical and mechanical aspects of ice (including glaciers and sea ice), snow and snow avalanches, ice-water systems, ice-bonded soils and permafrost. Relevant aspects of Earth science, materials science, offshore and river ice engineering are also of primary interest. These include icing of ships and structures as well as trafficability in cold environments. Technological advances for cold regions in research, development, and engineering practice are relevant to the journal. Theoretical papers must include a detailed discussion of the potential application of the theory to address cold regions problems. The journal serves a wide range of specialists, providing a medium for interdisciplinary communication and a convenient source of reference.