INTERACTION OF POST FOUNDATIONS AND FROZEN SOILS

The frozen soils’ stress-strain state varies with time due to the internal soil rheological processes. Those processes become active within the thawing period of the active soil layer causing increase in settlement of the engineering structures’ foundations. Hence, creep processes and thawing of frozen soils should be considered when designing the transportation facilities for regions of the Far North and Siberia.
The objective of the research is to develop a procedure for evaluating the variation in time of the stress-strain state of the frozen soil under the post footing of a bridge pier’s foundation considering the frozen soil creep and thawing. 
The interaction of the bridge pier post foundations and frozen silt-loam soil is modelled and studied. The research is based on the example of an existing overpass over the M‑56 Lena motor road situated at Amga–Samyrdah stage of Tommot–Yakutsk section of the Berkakit–Tommot–Yakutsk railway line. This overpass has piers with post foundations. The above railway line is in the area of hard frozen soils.
The study focuses on changes in principal normal compressive stresses with the course of time, as well as on the frozen soil movements under the post footing. The time allotted for the above system behavior study is limited to five months. There are two design cases: a) considering the frozen soil thawing up to a depth range of 1,5 to 4 m; b) without considering the frozen soil thawing.
The research has shown that the thawing of the frozen soil up to a comparatively low depth as compared to natural level results in a significant increase (by 2÷2,5 times) in the values of post foundation settlement as compared with the design case without thawing. At the same time, it was found that small values of thawing have a subtle effect on the frozen soil’s stress state under the post footing. Besides, all reviewed design cases (with / without thawing revealed that stress of the frozen soil under the post footing decreases with time (stress relaxation).

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