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ASTM Selected Technical Papers
Mechanical Properties of Frozen Soil
By
Hannele Zubeck
Hannele Zubeck
Editor
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhaohui Yang
Zhaohui Yang
Editor
Search for other works by this author on:
ISBN:
978-0-8031-7556-3
No. of Pages:
202
Publisher:
ASTM International
Publication date:
2013

When designing building foundations, infrastructure, or operations for natural resource retrieval in cold regions, mechanical properties of frozen soils need to be known in order to avoid sudden bearing capacity failures, excessive creep settlements, and slope failures. Several methods exist to measure the mechanical properties of frozen soils, some of them specified by the ASTM International; however, it is not clear if these test methods are in current use. Do they need to be modified or, in the light of several new developments in the Arctic areas, are new test methods needed? To investigate these issues as well as issues with the rest of the D18.19 standards, a survey was created and sent to laboratories around the world testing frozen soils. The purpose of this paper is to present the survey results. Responses were received from Alaska, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the continental United States. According to the survey results, none of the practices and standard test methods currently under the jurisdiction of the D18.19 are considered outdated; they are all relevant to current industry practice, are utilized as references for their corresponding test methods, and are used by several laboratories. Laboratory tests not currently standardized by ASTM International are performed on a regular basis in the frozen soil industry. The standardization of the following frozen soil tests is recommended: Thaw Consolidation Test, Shear Stress Test and Tri-axial Compression Test. The standardization of the field tests examined in this study is not recommended until further investigation regarding these test methods are performed. The current D18.19 standard test methods and practices do not require major modifications. The only recommended modification for the current standards relates to ASTM D4083-89: Standard Practice for Description of Frozen Soils, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2007. These results can be used to guide the future development of D18.19 standards.

1.
ASTM D4083-89
:
Standard Practice for Description of Frozen Soils
,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2007
.
2.
ASTM D5520-11
:
Standard Test Method for Laboratory Determination of Creep Properties of Frozen Soil Samples by Uniaxial Compression
,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2011
.
3.
ASTM D5780-10
:
Standard Test Method for Individual Piles in Permafrost Under Static Axial Compressive Load
,
Annual Book of Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2010
.
4.
ASTM D5918-06
:
Standard Test Methods for Frost Heave and Thaw Weakening Susceptibility of Soils
,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2006
.
5.
ASTM D6035-08
:
Standard Test Method for Determining the Effect of Freeze-Thaw on Hydraulic Conductivity of Compacted or Intact Soil Specimens Using a Flexible Wall Permeameter
,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2008
.
6.
ASTM D7099-04
:
Standard Terminology Relating to Frozen Soil and Rock
,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2010
.
7.
ASTM D7300-11
:
Standard Test Method for Laboratory Determination of Strength Properties of Frozen Soil at a Constant Rate of Strain
,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2011
.
8.
AASHTO
,
2007
, “
Standard Method of Test for Determining the Resilient Modulus of Soils and Aggregate Materials, Single User Digital Publication
,” reviewed 4/23/2013, https://bookstore.transportation.org/item_details.aspx?id=841.
9.
Bennett
,
L.
and
Nickling
,
W. G.
, “
The Shear Strength Characteristics of Frozen Coarse Granular Debris
,”
J. Glaciol.
, Vol.
30
, No.
106
,
1984
.
10.
Yasufuku
,
N.
,
Springman
,
S. M.
,
Arenson
,
L. U.
, and
Ramholt
,
T.
, “
Stress-Dilatancy Behaviour of Frozen Sand in Direct Shear
,” in
Permafrost
,
Swets & Zeitlinger
,
Amsterdam
,
2003
, p. 1253.
11.
Baker
,
T. H. W.
,
Jones
,
S. J.
, and
Parameswaran
,
V. R.
, “
Confined and Unconfined Compression Tests on Frozen Sands
,”
4th Canadian Permafrost Conference
, March 2–6th,
Calgary, Alberta
,
1981
, pp. 387–393.
12.
Arenson
,
L.
,
Johansen
,
M.
, and
Springman
,
S.
, “
Effects of Volumetric Ice Content and Strain Rate on Shear Strenght under Triaxial Conditions for Frozen Soils Samples
,”
Permafrost Periglac.
, Vol.
15
,
2004
, pp. 261–271.
13.
Parameswaran
,
V. R.
and
Jones
,
S. J.
, “
Triaxial Testing of Frozen Sand
,”
J. Glaciol.
, Vol.
27
, No.
95
,
1981
, pp. 147–156.
14.
Fish
,
A. M.
, “
Creep and Strength of Frozen Soil under Triaxial Compression
,” CRREL Special Report 94-32,
Hanover, NH
,
1994
.
15.
Jessberger
,
H. L.
, “
State-of-the-art Report, Ground Freezing Mechanical Properties, and Design
,” in
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,
Trondheim, Norway
,
1980
, pp. 1–33.
16.
Bragg
,
R. A.
and
Andersland
,
O. B.
, “
Strain Rate, Temperature, and Sample Size Effects on Compression and Tensile Properties of Frozen Sand
,”
Proc. the 2nd International Symposium on Ground Freezing
,
Trondheim, Norway
,
1980
, pp.34–47.
17.
Zhu
,
Y.
and
Carbee
,
D. L.
, “
Tensile Strength of Frozen Silt
,” CRREL Report 87-15:
Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
, Hanover, NH,
1987
.
18.
Erckhardt
,
H.
, “
Creep Tests with Frozen Soils under Uniaxial Tension and Uniaxial Compression
,” in Roger J. E. Brown Memorial Volume,
Proc. of the 4th Canadian Permafrost Conference
,
National Research Council of Canada
,
Calgary, Canada
,
1981
, pp. 394–405.
19.
Sopko
,
J. A.
, Jr.
, “
New Design Method for Frozen Earth Structures with Reinforcement
,” Ph.D. Dissertation,
Michigan State University
, East Lansing, MI,
1990
.
20.
Haynes
,
F. D.
,
Karalius
,
J. A.
,
Kalafut
,
J.
, “
Strain Rate Effect on the Strength of Frozen Silt
,”
Volume 350 of Research Report
,
Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
,
Hanover, NH
,
1975
.
21.
ASTM D5311
:
Standard Test Method for Load Controlled Cyclic Triaxial Strength of Soil
,
Annual Book of ASTM Standards
,
ASTM International
,
West Conshohocken, PA
,
2004
.
22.
Andersland
,
O.
and
Ladanyi
,
B.
,
Frozen Ground Engineering
, 2nd ed.,
Wiley and Sons
,
Hoboken, NJ
,
2004
.
23.
Morgenstern
,
N. R.
and
Nixon
,
J. F.
, “
One-dimensional Consolidation of Thawing Soils
,”
Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Alberta
,
Edmonton, Alberta
,
1971
.
24.
Zou
,
Y.
and
Boley
,
C.
, “
Compressiblity of Fine-Grained Soils Subjected to Closed-System Freezing and Thaw Consolidation
,”
Min. Sci. Tech.
, Vol.
19
,
2009
, pp. 631–635.
25.
Crawford
,
C. B.
, “
Interpretation of the Consolidation Test
,”
Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division
, Vol.
90
, No.
SM 5
,
1964
, pp. 87–110.
26.
Watson
,
G. H.
,
Slusrchuk
,
W. A.
, and
Rowley
,
R. K.
, “
Determination of Some Frozen and Thawed Properties of Permafrost Soils
,”
Can. Geotech. J.
, Vol.
10
, No.
4
,
1973
, pp. 592–606.
27.
Johnston
,
G. H.
and
Ladanyi
,
B.
, “
Field Tests of Grouted Rod Anchors in Permafrost
,”
Can. Geotech. J.
, Vol.
9
, No.
2
,
1972
, pp. 176–194.
28.
Ladanyi
,
B.
, “
Borehole Creep and Relaxation Tests in Ice-Rich Permafrost
,”
Proc. the 4th Canadian Permafrost Conference
,
1982
, pp. 406–415.
29.
Ladanyi
,
B.
and
Melouki
,
M.
, “
Determination of Creep Properties of Frozen Soils by Means of the Borehole Stress Relaxation Test
,”
Can. Geotech. J.
, Vol.
30
,
1992
, pp. 170–186.
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