Frost susceptibility related to soil index properties

Abstract

The analysis of frost-heave data on several soils confirmed that segregation potential, hence frost susceptibility, of saturated soils was best related to the average size of the fines fraction, the specific surface area of the fines fraction, and the ratio of the material's water content to its liquid limit. The influence of overburden pressure can also be accounted for by an empirical relationship between the segregation potential, the average size of the fines fraction, and the compressibility index of the soil. The segregation potential was also proportional to the relative fines content in soils where the fines do not completely fill the voids of the coarser fraction. This study led to the development of a new frost-susceptibility assessment methodology based on simple geotechnical routine soil index testing that was validated on a highway site on frost-susceptible subgrade till.Key words: frost heave, index properties, criteria, soil, segregation potential.