Frost heave control of fine round gravel fillings in deep seasonal frozen regions

摘要

Fine round gravel soil is widely employed in the subgrade of high speed railways in cold regions to prevent frost heaving and thawing. The lower the fines content in fine round gravel soil, the smaller the quantities of frost heaving and thawing, but compaction difficulty increases. This study is to obtain the optimum fines content and limited frost heaving and thawing. The fine round gravel soil filling (FRGSF) used in the Harbin-Qiqihaer Passenger Dedicated Line is taken as the study object. Influence of fines content on optimum water content, maximum dry density and frost heaving properties of FRGSF were studied by means of compaction and frost heaving tests. Results show that the maximum dry density of the FRGSF increases first and then decreases with an increase of fines content, namely there is an optimum fines content for easy compaction. The method of surface-vibratory instrument is fit for coarse-grained soils, and wet state of coarse-grained soil is in favor of compaction. Considering the relationship of fines content with maximum dry density and the frost heaving ratio of FRGSF, the fines content should be limited to within the range of 9%-10%, so that the frost heaving ratio is less than 1%, and the FRGSF is easily compacted. Water supply is proved to be an important factor influencing the amount of frost heaving of FRGSF. We also conclude that in the field, it is imperative to control waterproofing and drainage measures.