RESEARCH ON FROST HEAVE CONTROL FOR ASPHALT PAVEMENTS CONSTRUCTED USING THE INSULATION METHOD

Abstract

 In snowy and cold regions, freezing reaches the subgrade of the pavement during severe winter and generates cracks in the asphalt mixture layer from frost heaving. In addition, after the frozen subgrade thaws, the bearing capacity of the subgrade decreases, which may lead to the cracking and subsidence of the asphalt mixture layer. Therefore, in constructing long-life pavements in snowy and cold regions, it is important to control frost heaving. In this study, as a measure against frost heaving in existing asphalt pavements that have undergone damage as a result of insufficiently deep soil replacement, we constructed an experimental pavement using insulation that afforded shallower excavation depths than those of the method involving soil replacement. A seven-year follow-up survey found that the pavement constructed with the insulation method had the frost heave control capacity and a bearing capacity that were equivalent to those of the pavement constructed with the soil replacement method.