Research on a method to limit side-wall friction in frost heave test cells and the use of resistivity to detect the freezing isotherm are proposed so that systematic and standardized testing of frost heave can be done. The ability to obtain good data on the important parameters of pressure and rate of frost penetration will enable significant progress to be made in the development of a theoretical equation for the prediction of frost heave. Validation of the rigid-ice theory for frost heave will be attempted. A stacked ring cell (to eliminate side-wall friction) will be designed and constructed. Instrumentation in some of the rings will consist of thermistors for the measurement of temperatures, resistivity sensors to detect the formation of the first ice and hence the freezing isotherm, and position location sensors to track the movement of the rings and hence the movement of the temperature and resistivity sensors.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: The development of a theoretical equation for frost heave will enable civil engineers to use a wider range of soils for construction of roads and airfields resulting in significant savings. The design of a chilled gas pipeline, such as those being considered for transportation of Alaskan North Slope gas and Canadian Beaufort Sea gas, requires that the forces exerted on the pipeline by frost heave be considered to ensure the structural integrity of the line.
