Experimental Study on the Influence of Particle Size on Soil Frost Heave Characteristics

In this paper, an experimental platform was established to study the frost heave characteristics of soil. Taking quartz powder as the sample, four saturated soil samples including three particle sizes (25 µm, 12.5 µm and 6.25 µm) and one gradation (80%-25 µm, 10%-12.5 µm and 10%-6.25 µm) were studied. The results show that there is a shrinkage stage after the soil sample begins to freeze; the soil sample of smaller particle has a higher freezing rate in the fast freezing stage and finally achieves a larger frost heave amount; the freezing rate in the fast freezing stage and the final frost heave amount of the graded soil sample increase obviously compared with the 25 µm soil sample; the fast freezing of shallow soil causes an upward fluctuation of temperature and then the fluctuation spreads to the depth; the soil samples of 12.5 µm, 6.25 µm and gradation form visible layered ice lenses near the sample height of 13 cm.