Long-term influence of pavement structure on the ground ice movement subjected to the climatic variation in a cold region

Seasonal ice movement is a complex phenomenon governed by water transfer, heat exchange, and phase change, with engineering projects being a major influencing factor, while these processes remain poorly understood. A full-coupled numerical simulation model considering the surface heat/water balance and phase change is proposed to study the atmosphere-pavement-ground interaction. Analysis confirms that pavement structure significantly alters subsurface thermal regimes and ice dynamics. Notably, an ice-free zone (4–6 m depth) persists during the coldest months in Winter, attributable to modified hydrothermal transfer processes induced by the pavement configuration. However, the water content at the shallow depths (<2 m) remains unaffected due to water infiltration from both sides of the road and minimal temperature effects at these depths. The investigation sheds light on the seasonal ice movement in the cold region under the influence of pavement structure, potentially interesting for infrastructure resilience improvement, climate change problems, etc.