Theoretical study of frost heaving - Kinetic process at water layer between ice lens and soil particles

In this paper we investigate thermodynamical properties of a water layer between ice lens and soil particles, e.g. chemical potential Aµ(δ) of the water layer as a function of the layer thickness δ, the supercooling Δ T and the overburden pressure p, the equilibrium thickness δθq of the layer and so on. Then we discuss the kinetic process of frost heaving at the layer, i.e. the process of freezing and the process of suction of water, and derived the rate R, of frost heaving under steady state conditions for given Δ T and p. It is shown that trie layer thickness under steady state conditions is very close to the equilibrium layer thickness because of the large kinetic coefficient of the freezing and that the rate is actually controlled by the rate of suction of pore water at the water layer, so long as Δr and p are given and soil is saturated by water.