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Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2021, Vol. 13 ›› Issue (2): 123-132.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2021.20037

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A full-scale field experiment to study the thermal-deformation process of widening highway embankments in permafrost regions

ShuangJie Wang1,Long Jin1,3(),Kun Yuan1,DongGen Chen1,JinPing Li1,Yi Song2,3   

  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Road Engineering Safety and Health in High-altitude Regions, CCCC First Highway Consultants Co. , LTD, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710075, China
    2.Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China
    3.College of Science and Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7005, Australia
  • Received:2020-05-21 Accepted:2020-11-03 Online:2021-04-30 Published:2021-05-11
  • Contact: Long Jin E-mail:jinl@ccroad.com.cn

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Abstract:

As one of the widely used upgrading way in road engineering, the widening embankment (WE) has suffered evident differential deformation, which is even severer for highway in permafrost regions due to the temperature sensitivity of frozen soil and the heat absorption effect of the asphalt pavement. Given this issue, a full-scale experimental highway of WE was performed along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway (QTH) to investigate the differential deformation features and its developing law. The continuous three years' monitoring data taken from the experimental site, including the ground temperature and the layered deformation of WE and original embankment (OE), were used to analyze the thermal-deformation process. The results indicate that the widening part presented the remarkable thermal disturbance to the existing embankment (EE). The underlying permafrost was in a noteworthy degradation state, embodying the apparent decrease of the permafrost table and the increase of the ground temperature. Correspondingly, the heat disruption induced by widening led to a much higher deformation at the widening side compared to the original embankment, showing a periodic stepwise curve. Specifically, the deformation mainly occurred in the junction of the EE and the widening part, most of which was caused by the thawing consolidation near the original permafrost table. In contrast, the deformation of EE mainly attributed to the compression of the active layer. Furthermore, it was the deformation origination differences that resulted in the differential deformation of WE developed gradually during the monitoring period, the maximum of which reached up to 64 mm.

Key words: widening embankment, permafrost, deformation, in-situ experiment

Figure 1

Schematic location of experiment site (modified after Wang, 2006)"

Figure 2

Layout of the experiment site. (a) Photos of the experiment site, (b) Plan of the test road"

Figure 3

Cross section and the monitoring plan. (a) Temperature monitoring plan of OE, (b) Temperature monitoring plan of WE, (c) Layered deformation monitoring plan of OE, (d) Layered deformation monitoring plan of WE"

Figure 4

Ground temperature curves under the right shoulder of WE"

Figure 5

Artificial permafrost table depth under WE. (a) right shoulder, (b) central line, (c) left shoulder"

Figure 6

Ground temperature distributions. (a) WE, (b) OE"

Figure 7

Deformation fields of the WE. (a) December 2010, (b) December 2011, (c) December 2012"

Figure 8

Embankment settlement at different parts"

Figure 9

Layered deformations at the right shoulder of WE"

Figure 10

Settlement curves at the central line of WE and OE"

Figure 11

Layered deformations at the central line of WE"

Figure 12

Variation of differential settlement of WE"

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