The influence of vertical columns of crushed stone on the cryogenic processes of the soil base of the subgrade

Abstract

Currently, the development of communications in the North is becoming increasingly important for the economy of the Russian Federation. According to the strategy for the development of railway transport until 2030, the construction of the Northern latitudinal passage railway will allow unloading the Trans-Siberian Railway, get transport approaches to the gas and oil fields of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, and later the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and provide communication with the ports of the Northern Sea Route. The complexity of construction in these regions is due to several reasons: the presence of weak soils in the foundations of structures, the unpredictability of the behavior of frozen soils during freezing-thawing, difficult climatic conditions, and the lack of transport infrastructure. To ensure the stability and sustainability of the subgrade on the Northern latitudinal passage section of the new Obskaya-Salekhard railway line PK 01+50 – PK 06+50, the authors proposed a decision to reinforce the foundation soils with vertical columns of crushed stone. This improvement technology is used in the North for the first time, but it has proven itself in areas with weak foundations. The Northern latitudinal passage section of the new Obskaya-Salekhard railway line PK 01+50 – PK 06+50 is carried out according to the II design principle with the assumption of permafrost thawing. This article has performed and analyzed the modeling of thermophysical processes both with the use of this technology and without it. Conclusions are drawn on the appropriateness of using this technology in the permafrost zone. The results presented in the article are part of the dissertation research I. Artyushenko «Reinforcement of the subgrade base with vertical columns of crushed stone in areas with permafrost soils».