Frost heave mitigation using expanding structural polymer.

摘要

A section of highway WYO 70 near Encampment, WY has experienced significant frost heave causing dangerous driving conditions. After several unsuccessful attempts to mitigate the problem using drains, the Wyoming Department of Transportation decided to experiment with injecting expanding structural polymer to insulate under the roadway in lieu of traditional methods of frost heave mitigation. On October 10-14, 2011, a layer of polymer was surface injected at a depth of 18 inches over a distance of 70 feet. The site was monitored using surveying to determine road profiles and thermistors to measure soil temperature profiles. Road profiles showed significant reductions of frost heave and temperature profiles revealed that soil temperatures were maintained near or above freezing below the insulation layer. The initial results indicate that the use of the polymer as an insulation layer appears to be an effective and non-destructive solution to mitigate frost heave under a roadway.