• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.13-23
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• 2013

The Korean Peninsula is considered as a seasonal frozen area that is thawed in the spring and frozen in the winter. The influence of fines of the frost susceptibility of subgrade soils were established by laboratory freezing tests simulating closely the thermal conditions in the field. During the winter season, the climate is heavily influenced by the cold and dry continental high pressure. Because of siberian air mass, the temperature of January is $-6{\sim}-7^{\circ}C$ on average. This chilly weather generate the frost heaving by freezing the moisture of soil and damage potential of the geotechnical structure. In the freezing soil, the ice lenses increase the freeze portion of soil by absorbing the ground water with capillary action. However, the capillary characteristics differ from the sort of soil on the state of freezing condition. In this study, ten soil samples are prepared. The basic physical property tests were performed by following the Korean Industrial Standard and the soil specimens were classified by the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). These classified soils are used to perform the laboratory opened systems freezing test in order to determine the frost heaving characteristics of soils such as unfrozen water content, heaving amount, and freezing depth.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.27-35
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• 2012

In this paper, the frost heaving and thawing characteristics of flexible pavement structure were evaluated in the large scale freezer which have a specification of temperature range $-20^{\circ}C{\sim}10^{\circ}C$ and $3.2m(L){\times}3.2m(B){\times}2.4m(H)$ in size. The insulated steel box with the size of $0.9m(L){\times}0.9m(B){\times}0.9m(H)$ was used to simulate actual pavement road structure. The variation of temperature, frost heave amount and frost heave pressure were measured through the instrument of TDS-602 data logger. LFWD (light falling weight deflectometer) was used to determine the change of deflection due to the frost heaving and thawing. Furthermore, the influence of aggregate layer to the freezing of the subgrade soil was studied to verify the function and effectiveness of the anti-freezing layer.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.19-27
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• 2009

In order to investigate anti-freeze process of precast concrete L-type retaining walls in cold regions, test walls were installed in the campus of Kitami Institute of Technology (KIT, Hokkaido, Japan). The wall consists of following three sections, i) back filled with frost susceptible clay soil, ii) using thermal insulation material, and back filled with frost susceptible soil, iii) back filled with frost-unsusceptible soil. The freezing front distribution and ground temperature within the backfill were observed and deflections of the walls were measured over three freeze-thaw seasons. Some understanding of the mechanisms of the build-up of frost heave pressure was gained, and the effectiveness of replacement method was observed. A simulation was performed to predict the shape of the freezing front in the backfill behind L-type walls with various cross sections. These findings were employed to propose a method for determining the appropriate zone to be replaced with frost unsusceptible backfill material in cold regions.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.47-56
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• 2021

The cryosuction (negative pore pressure) in freezing soils causes groundwater migration from the frozen fringe to freezing front for ice lens formation. Frost heave and heaving pressure by ice lens cause damage to ground infrastructure. In order to prevent damage by the frost heave, various frost susceptibility criteria have been proposed. The SP (Segregation Potential) is the most widely used classification criterion for frost susceptibility in cold regions. The expansion of the ice lens by the migration of the groundwater is a key role in frost heave mechanism, and thus it is necessary to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity. In this paper, soil mixtures of coarse-fines (sand-silt) were prepared in various weight fractions and used for frost heave and column permeability test. For each case, the SP and the hydraulic conductivity were derived and correlations were analyzed. As a results, the transition threshold of the SP and the hydraulic conductivity were shown at 20% and 50% of the silt weight fraction, respectively. Although there are difference between these transition thresholds, these two coefficients show a specific correlation. In the future, additional study should be conducted for detailed analysis of the threshold transition values between SP and hydraulic conductivity.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.111-121
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• 2007

During the whole month of December in 2005, Korea experienced both heavy snowfall and freezing temperature in southeast regions, which had caused frost related damages to many pavements laid on top of box culverts. In-situ observation revealed that the formation of ice lenses in subgrade and subsequent unbound layers led to upward heaving and transverse cracks in concrete and asphalt pavements. This has affected the long-term performance of pavements, as well as has threatened drivers' safety for a while. Recently, Korea Expressway Corporation has proposed a design guide to better protect newly constructed unbound pavement layers over culverts from frost heave. A trench drainage system has been selected to effectively draw off water and to alleviate pore-water pressure in soils during the coldest season. This paper presents experimental and analytical backgrounds behind this new design guide. Soil specimens retrieved from the sites are tested to quantify clay content and to estimate the permeability of subgrade. A 2-D ground seepage analysis has been conducted to better understand the changes in pore water pressures as a function of grain size. Finally, an optimum size of trench drainage is determined based on numerical analysis and workability in the field.