Frost Action and Highways

Ralph J. Hodek, P.E.

County Engineers Workshop

Manistee, Michigan
February 11, 2014

1
 Frost Action
The detrimental effects of seasonal
freezing and thawing.
It requires:
1) A frost-susceptible soil
2) A supply of water
3) Below-freezing soil temperature
4) A period of above-freezing air temperature

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3
Closed and Open System Freezing
after Terzaghi (1952)

4
Modified Berggren Eq. for Depth of
Frost Penetration

X = (48Kf nf Iaf / L)1/2

X = frost penetration, ft
= a dimensionless correction factor
Kf = thermal conductivity of frozen soil, Btu/hr-ft-oF
L = latent heat of fusion, Btu/ft3 This is the energy involved in
the phase change from water to ice.
nf = surface freezing index / air freezing index ~ 0.7 for bare
roadway, but it depends greatly on the wind speed.
Iaf = air freezing index, degree-days F

5
Idealized Roadway Refreeze Depth
During Spring Melt

6
Freezing Index at Houghton County Airport
1900

2013-2014 1705.5 Apr, 5th

1700
1408 Feb, 5th
Cumulative Freezing Degree Days, F

1500
Long-Term Average

1300

1100

900

700

500

300

100

-100 0 30 60 90 120 150

Dec,1

Jan, 1

Feb, 1
Nov,1

Mar,1

Apr,1
Date, day
7
Idealized Situation at Bootjack Road

8
Bootjack Road Reference Points

9
 Measured Frost Heave
Along Centerline
97.40

97.35 Nov. 15 16
Jan. 22 15
97.30 Feb. 19
Mar. 11 17
97.25 10
11 Apr. 15
Surface Elev. (ft)

97.20

97.15

97.10
8
9 14
97.05
Monitor Point #4
97.00 12
13 Culvert
96.95 location
96.90
0 10 20 30 40 50 55 60 70 80 90
Distance along road (ft)

10
Bootjack Road Reference Points

11
 Measured Frost Heave
Transverse to Centerline
97.30
Nov. 15
97.20 Jan. 22
Feb. 19
Mar. 11
97.10
4 Apr. 15
Surface Elev. (ft)

3
97.00
5
2
96.90
6
96.80
Monitor Point #1
96.70

7
96.60
12 16 20 24 28 32 36
Distance across road (ft)

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 LUCE COUNTY FROST TUBES
Information from Stan Ronquist

Data on 3 tubes from 8/81 to present

Latest frost in the ground 5/16/96

Deepest frost penetration 3/3/94 (75)

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 LUCE COUNTY FROST TUBE
Typical thawing pattern
1/22/92 Day 4/12/92
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0

5 T
10 Thawed
15
Depth frozen

20 Frozen
25

30

35

40

45

50

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Light Reading for a Cold Winter Night
Andersland, O. B. and Ladanyi, B., An Introduction to Frozen
Ground Engineering, Chapman & Hall, 1994.
Terzaghi, Karl, Permafrost, Contributions to Soil Mechanics,
1941-1953, Boston Society of Civil Engineers, 1953.
Departments of the Army and Air Force, TM 5-852-6, Arctic
and Subarctic Construction Calculation Methods for
Determination of Depths of Freeze and Thaw in Soils, 1988.
U.S. Dept. of Transportation, FHWA-HRT-08_057, Long Term
Pavement Performance Computed Parameter: Frost
Penetration, 2008.

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