Use of H2Ri wicking fabric to prevent frost boils in the Dalton Highway Beaver Slide area, Alaska final report.

Details

• Creators:
  Zhang, Xiong ; Presler, Wendy
• Corporate Creators:
  Alaska University Transportation Center
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Embankments
  • Freeze thaw durability
  • Laboratory tests
  • Moisture damage
  • Pavement performance
  • Slope stability
  • Permafrost
  • Data collection
  • Sensors
  • Highway maintenance
• Publication/ Report Number:
  INE/AUTC 12.23
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Alaska
• Corporate Publisher:
  Alaska University Transportation Center
• Abstract:
  Many roads in Alaska, such as the Dalton Highway, experience degradation during spring thaw due to the downslope running of shallow groundwater. The water flow ; down the slope and pools up in the road embankments, where it freezes, causing frost boils and subsequent road damage. One good example of this damage occurred at ; Beaver Slide, near mile 110.5 of the Dalton Highway. The frost boils have resulted in extremely unsafe driving conditions and frequent accidents. Past repair efforts ; indicate conventional road construction methods do not work. The Mirafi Nylon Wicking Fabric, developed by Tencate Geosynthetics (North America), offers a potential ; solution. Featuring high specific surface area and high permeability, preliminary laboratory tests of MNWF indicate that it has great promise as a cost-effective means to ; solve the frost boil 8 problems on northern road systems. This proposed project aims to verify the theory, testing MNWF at Beaver Slide using moisture and temperature ; sensors to gather measurements for one year. Upon evaluation, researchers expect improved performance of pavement at installation sites. Data will be gathered regarding ; soil properties at the site; observed thermal and moisture changes and pavement performance over a one-year period; analysis of frost boil mechanisms; and evaluation of ; MNWF effectiveness to mitigate frost boil problems. Research results may lead to incorporation of MNWF in the geotechnical engineering curriculum at UAF. Further, ; recommendations developed from the research will be useful in ensuring a reliable and economic design of roads in arctic environments.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  AUTC#510020/ RR10.02 ; DTRT06-G-0011
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/26949/dot_26949_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 8.21 MB]
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers ; US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:0de4af730e96d126d898879549a55d36d99f98e37e4a32f644462c9567b80ad6