Thermal–moisture dynamics of embankments with asphalt pavement in permafrost regions of central Tibetan Plateau

Wen, Zhi; Zhang, Mingli; Ma, Wei; Wu, Qingbai; Niu, F.; Yu, Qihao; Fan, Zeng; Sun, Ziyong

doi:10.1080/19648189.2014.945043

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Thus, volumetric water content is higher in the edge part of the pavement compared to the rest of the pavement. Similarly, also other authors observe that water content in unbound layers is highly dependent on permeability properties of asphalt layer ( [10]) as well as permeability properties of cold in-situ retreatment with foamed bitumen layer ( [4]). The same water flow is observed during melting of snow ( Figure 9).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Traffic load on new or rebuilt pavement can causes higher settlements of road surface ( [5,14]) as well as frequent and high volumetric water content changes ( [2,8,10]). While settlements have been measured only few times out of the freezing period and not continuously during the whole monitoring period, results do not capture possible heaving due to freezing.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pavement stiffness rapidly decreases during spring thaw, which causes large settlements ( [14]), while during freezing no changes in settlement of road surface are observed ( [14]). However spring thawing and snow melting can increase water content in base or sub base layer to saturated state, which also leads to reduction of pavement strength, decreasing dry density and increasing the porosity ( [2,8,10]). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experiences from in-situ monitoring of pavement under weather conditions change

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Very strong winters with temperatures under 0°C and hot summers with temperatures more than 30°C are observed in the South East part of Slovenia. Those big differences in temperature during the year and especially temperatures below freezing point have strong influence on asphalt layer and sub base of road pavement. The freeze/thaw cycles lead to formation of ice lenses in base course causing cracks in asphalt layers and degrade the pavement usually in a few years. For this reason one section of the national road in the South East part of Slovenia was rebuilt with cold in-situ pavement retreatment. A test field with inbuilt sensors for measuring water content, temperature and deformation in various depths and locations was constructed during the remediation works to study the mechanism of freeze-thaw degradation of pavements. The main goal of the test field is to determine water content in sub base, freezing depth, temperature distribution and deformations, which lead to cracks in asphalt layer after the remediation work in the road construction.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experiences from in-situ monitoring of pavement under weather conditions change

et al. 2016

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“…3,4 In permafrost regions, water in subpavement soil layers undergoes annual dynamic freezing process (FP) and a thawing process (TP; e.g., movement and distribution). 6,7 However, the lack of information on the hydrothermal accumulation process limits our understanding of the finer points of engineering problems present in permafrost regions. 6,7 However, the lack of information on the hydrothermal accumulation process limits our understanding of the finer points of engineering problems present in permafrost regions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Early works related to the changes in subpavement soil water focused on the effects of permafrost temperature on roadbeds. 13,14 Shear stress concentrates as a result of the variations in soil thermal-physical properties across seasons and across space, 7,15,16 and some studies have even demonstrated that during TP, the volumetric water content in the cushion layer of a given roadbed may exceed 30% and may reach 57%. 8 Changes in water and temperature have also been shown to be coupled.…”

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confidence: 99%

Hydrothermal accumulation under asphalt pavement in cold regions

Zhang

et al. 2019

Energy Science & Engineering

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Water and heat changes are the main problems that plague the stability and service performance of roadbeds in cold regions. Though hydrothermal transfer and accumulation directly affect roadbed properties, these processes remain poorly understood as monitoring data are often collected over short time periods and large spacing in depth. This research compares water and temperature data collected from 2012 to 2015 to elucidate the physical mechanisms of hydrothermal accumulation under both asphalt pavement and original pavement. These thermal and physical mechanisms include differences in the freezing process (FP) and the thawing process (TP), water transport, condensation, and hydrothermal accumulation. For instance, when compared to the underlying layer, the thawing of the surface layer of asphalt pavement was delayed by 35 days because of differences in hydrothermal properties. During TP, liquid water content changes from 3.31%‐13.2% to 15%‐37.67%, and the unfrozen water content of the soil layers under the asphalt pavement was approximately 6.85%‐12.34% higher than that of the soil layers under the original pavement. A layer with high water content and heat formed under the surface layer of asphalt pavement and provided the appropriate conditions for vapor transport and condensation. Soil layers thawed early in the preceding year, and this hydrothermal accumulation occurred on an annual basis. The annual minimum monthly average temperature was thus found to be increasing at the rate of 0.34°C/y. As water content also accounts for heat accumulation and was found to be more sensitive to change than temperature, the results of this study can provide theoretical and technical data useful for highway construction and design in permafrost regions.

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Impact of heat advection on the thermal regime of roads built on permafrost

Chen

Fortier

McKenzie

et al. 2020

Hydrological Processes

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In northern regions, transportation infrastructure can experience severe structural damages due to permafrost degradation. Water infiltration and subsurface water flow under an embankment affect the energy balance of roadways and underlying permafrost. However, the quantification of the processes controlling these changes and a detailed investigation of their thermal impacts remain largely unknown due to a lack of available long‐term embankment temperature data in permafrost regions. Here, we report observations of heat advection linked to surface water infiltration and subsurface flow based on a 9‐year (from 2009 to 2017) thermal monitoring at an experimental road test site built on ice‐rich permafrost conditions in southwestern Yukon, Canada. Our results show that snowmelt water infiltration in the spring rapidly increases temperature in the upper portion of the embankment. The earlier disappearance of snow deposited at the embankment slope increases the thawing period and the temperature gradient in the embankment compared with the natural ground. Infiltrated summer rainfall water lowered the near‐surface temperatures and subsequently warmed embankment fill materials down to 3.6‐m depth. Heat advection caused by the flow of subsurface water produced warming rates at depth in the embankment subgrade up to two orders of magnitude faster than by atmospheric warming (heat conduction). Subsurface water flow promoted permafrost thawing under the road embankment and led to an increase in active layer thickness. We conclude that the thermal stability of roadways along the Alaska Highway corridor is not maintainable in situations where water is flowing under the infrastructure unless mitigation techniques are used. Severe structural damages to the highway embankment are expected to occur in the next decade.

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Thermal–moisture dynamics of embankments with asphalt pavement in permafrost regions of central Tibetan Plateau

Cited by 29 publications

References 13 publications

Experiences from in-situ monitoring of pavement under weather conditions change

Experiences from in-situ monitoring of pavement under weather conditions change

Hydrothermal accumulation under asphalt pavement in cold regions

Impact of heat advection on the thermal regime of roads built on permafrost

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