A generalized model for calculating the thermal conductivity of freezing soils based on soil components and frost heave

Thermal conductivity of freezing soils is an important parameter for the geotechnical engineering in cold regions. During a freezing process, unfrozen water freezes into ice. It changes soil components and induces frost heave, which will significantly increase the thermal conductivity of freezing soils. This study presents a generalized model for calculating the thermal conductivity of freezing soils with a consideration of soil components and frost heave. The generalized model for freezing soils was developed by different connections (e.g. series connection and parallel connection) between soil pores and solid grain and between unfrozen water and ice in the pores. This model was a function of unfrozen water content, frost heave, porosity, and initial water content The proposed model was verified by measured data of eight silty clay samples with different dry densities and initial water contents. Results show that the calculated thermal conductivities agree well with measured data. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.