THE EFFECT OF WATER-TABLE ON THE FROST SUSCEPTIBILITY OF A ROADMAKING MATERIAL

The Transport and Road Research Laboratory frost-heave test is widely used to estimate the frost susceptibility of unbound base and sub-base materials to be used in road construction. The Department of Transport specification for road and bridge works requires that no material used within 450 mm of a road surface shall be frost-susceptible but that any suspect material shall be tested in the manner described in lr90 which provides acceptance criteria for frost heave empirically derived from surveys of road failures during very cold winters. This test simulates a condition where the water-table is located at the bottom of the sub-base, whereas in modern roads the water-table is normally well below this level. Theory and experience indicate that a lowering of the water-table would lead to a reduction in heave. The probability, and amount, of frost heave in a modern road will therefore usually be less than that indicated by the laboratory test. This report describes research which demonstrates the reduction of frost-heave associated with a lowering of the water-table for one sub-base material - an oolitic limestone. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

  Wokingham, Berkshire  United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • Burns, J
• Publication Date: 1977

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 10 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Base course (Pavements); Building materials; Drawdown (Hydraulics); Frost; Frost damage; Frost susceptibility; Limestone; Location; Lowering; Road construction; Sensitivity; Simulation; Specifications; Testing; Tests; Water table
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decreases
• Subject Areas: Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00168144
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRRL Suppl. 305 Monograph
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 28 1978 12:00AM