Development of a new method for checking frost heave in roads

The ground in Russia is frozen for between 2 and 9 months a year, resulting in a significant risk of frost heave damage – particularly on rural roads. While the standard solution is to use non-frost-susceptible materials up to the depth of frost penetration, such materials are not always readily available in the more remote parts of the country. This paper describes how research at universities in Saint Petersburg and Vologda has resulted in a new method for accurately predicting frost heave on roads built with frost-susceptible materials. The iterative method uses data from laboratory testing of frost heave in soils to determine the thickness of various grades of anti-frost layers that can then be incorporated in road construction to reduce heave. Russian regulations now allow the use of frost-susceptible materials for new road construction provided frost resistance has been calculated in accordance with the new method, resulting in significant cost savings.