A frost heaving mitigation method with the rubber-asphalt-fiber mixture cylinder

• Published in: Cold regions science and technology Vol. 169; p. 102912
• Main Authors: Liu, Xiaoqiang, Liu, Jiankun, Tian, Yahu, Shen, Yupeng, Liu, Jingyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2020
• Subjects: Elastic modulus; Frost heaving; Mixture cylinder; Rubber granules; Elastic modulus; Frost heaving; Rubber granules; Mixture cylinder
• ISSN: 0165-232X; 1872-7441
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102912

Severe frost heaving causes problems for heavy-haul railway embankments filled with lean clay during cold seasons in China. The anti-frost-heaving performance of a mixture, which consists of rubber particles, asphalt, and polypropylene fiber, was investigated by 1-D frost heaving tests and triaxial shear tests in the laboratory. The mixture cylinder embedded in the specimens can markedly reduce the frost heaving, and the increasing mass of tire granules plays a negative role in mitigating the frost heaving. The nonlinear elastic modulus for unfrozen soil decreases with the strain, while the constant elastic modulus for the mixture is independent of the strain. When the strain is <5%, the modulus of unfrozen soil is greater than that of the mixture. The water content in height for specimens with the mixture cylinder is lower than that for specimens without the cylinder. Therefore, both the smaller elastic modulus and capillary-break effect of the mixture were proven to contribute to the anti-frost-heaving performance. •The mixture, consisting of the tire granules, asphalt and polypropylene fiber, is proposed to mitigate the frost heaving.•The anti-heaving mechanism of the mixture is verified by the frost heaving test and triaxial shear test.•Both the smaller elastic modulus and capillary-break effect of the mixture serve as the main anti-heaving mechanism.