Thaw weakening of pavement structures in cold regions

Although considerable efforts have been spent on studying the effects of se asonal frost conditions on pavement performance, the effects of thaw weaken ing have been less extensively investigated. This paper presents a review o f the literature with regard to soil thawing and bearing capacity of paveme nts during thaw weakening periods. The reviewed literature indicates a larg e number of parameters affecting the extent of weakening during spring thaw . Soil type, permeability, drainage conditions and rate of thaw are general ly regarded as some of the most important factors. However, the relative im portance of these factors are unclear, and the literature, concerning large scale field tests indicates considerable differences in pavement performan ce during thaw weakening. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.