Preliminary results from field monitoring of frost heave effects on steel H-piles

ABSTRACT: Frost heave in soils during winter can significantly affect pile foundations. Piles are prone to experience significant upward displacement due to frost heave forces. A part of these frost heave forces, acting on pile foundations in response to the freezing of the surrounding soil, are contributed by adfreeze stresses along the pile shaft. Research is ongoing to improve the understanding of adfreeze stresses on piles. This paper discusses a unique field instrumentation program designed to quantify adfreeze stresses and to better understand the mechanisms involved with their development on piles due to frost heave. Strain gauges were installed on the pile shaft to measure adfreeze stresses. Piezometers, thermistor strings, magnetic sensors, Shape Accel Arrays, and heaving pins/plates were installed in the vicinity of the pile to monitor parameters that can be beneficial in characterizing the mobilization of adfreeze stresses on piles. Preliminary data collected from the first monitored winter period are also presented in this paper.