Abstract
Accidents induced by horizontal frost heave (HFH) occur frequently in foundation pits. Pit walls are unstable because of the deformation due to HFH. The effects of HFH have been ignored in the design and construction of foundation pits, and existing studies on the characteristics of HFH in foundation pits are limited. Therefore, research on HFH in foundation pits is necessary. To reveal the characteristics of HFH in foundation pits, field monitoring of water migration, temperature variation, and force variation in foundation pits under different water supplements and support types was carried out in Beijing. Furthermore, the numerical model of the foundation pit was established and solved by the finite element method. The model was verified by the monitored data. Based on the model, insulation materials were laid in the wall of the foundation pit in the seasonally frozen soil area to prevent frost heave (FH). Temperature and displacement were employed in the calculations to evaluate the effects of anti-FH measures with the different insulation materials, and the results indicate that the value of the polystyrene insulation board was best.