Effects of embedment depth and section shape on frost heaving of buried structures

In order to evaluate the effects of embedment depth and cross-section shape of buried structures on its frost heaving damage, frost heaving test of one freezing-thawing cycle was conducted at outdoor test site, where cylinders and cuboids with different shapes and dimensions made by extruded polystyrene insulation board were used to simulate buried structures. Air temperature, soil temperature, freezing depth and frost heaving displacements of the buried structures were monitored in test. By analyzing and comparing the test data, it was concluded that in a freezing-thawing cycle, frost heaving displacement of structures buried in certain depth range above maximum frozen depth increased rapidly with embedment depth, and it tended to stable when embedment depth increased to a certain value. The mean relative difference of frost heaving displacements of cylinders and cuboids with the same embedment depth is 10%, in consideration of the accident factors in the test, there was no obvious relationship between the frost heaving displacement and section shape of the structure.