ASTM D5918-96(2001)

Standard Test Methods for Frost Heave and Thaw Weakening Susceptibility of Soils

SCOPE
1.1 These laboratory test methods cover the frost heave and thaw weakening susceptibilities of soil that is tested in the laboratory by comparing the heave rate and thawed bearing ratio with values in an established classification system. This test was developed to classify the frost susceptibility of soils used in pavements. It should be used for soils where frost-susceptibility considerations, based on particle size such as the limit of 3 % finer than 20 mm in Specification D 2940, are uncertain. This is most important for frost-susceptibility criteria such as those used by the Corps of Engineers, that require a freezing test for aggregates of inconclusive frost classification. The frost heave susceptibility is determined from the heave rate during freezing. The thaw weakening susceptibility is determined with the bearing ratio test (see Test Method D1883).
1.2 This is an index test for estimating the relative degree of frost-susceptibility of soils used in pavement systems. It cannot be used to predict the amount of frost heave nor the strength after thawing, nor can it be used for long-term freezing of permafrost or for foundations of refrigerated structures.
1.3 The test methods described are for one sample and uses manual temperature control. It is suggested that four samples be tested simultaneously and that the temperature control and data taking be automated using a computer.
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for information only.
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

General Information

• Status: Historical
• Publication Date: 09-Mar-1996
• ICS: 13.080.01 - Soil quality and pedology in general
• Technical Committee: D18 - Soil and Rock
• Drafting Committee: D18.19 - Frozen Soils and Rock

Relations

• Replaces: ASTM D5918-96 - Standard Test Methods for Frost Heave and Thaw Weakening Susceptibility of Soils
• Effective Date: 10-Mar-1996
• Replaced By: ASTM D5918-06 - Standard Test Methods for Frost Heave and Thaw Weakening Susceptibility of Soils
• Effective Date: 01-Nov-2006
• Referred By: ASTM D7762-18e1 - Standard Practice for Design of Stabilization of Soil and Soil-Like Materials with Self-Cementing Fly Ash
• Effective Date: 10-Mar-1996
• Referred By: ASTM D7765-18a - Standard Practice for Use of Foundry Sand in Structural Fill and Embankments
• Effective Date: 10-Mar-1996
• Referred By: ASTM D5787-20 - Standard Practice for Monitoring Well Protection At or Near Land Surface
• Effective Date: 10-Mar-1996

Standards Content (Sample)

NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information
Designation:D5918–96 (Reapproved 2001)
Standard Test Methods for
Frost Heave and Thaw Weakening Susceptibility of Soils
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5918; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision.Anumber in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope 2. Referenced Documents
1.1 These laboratory test methods cover the frost heave and 2.1 ASTM Standards:
thaw weakening susceptibilities of soil that is tested in the C702 Methods for Reducing Samples of Aggregate to
laboratory by comparing the heave rate and thawed bearing Testing Size
2 5
ratio with values in an established classification system. This D75 Practice for Sampling Aggregates
test was developed to classify the frost susceptibility of soils D420 Guide to Site Characterization for Engineering De-
used in pavements. It should be used for soils where frost- sign and Construction Purposes
susceptibility considerations, based on particle size such as the D653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contami-
limit of 3% finer than 20 mm in Specification D2940, are nated Fluids
uncertain. This is most important for frost-susceptibility crite- D698 Test Methods for Laboratory Compaction Character-
3 3
ria such as those used by the Corps of Engineers, that require istics of Soil Using Standard Effort [12400 ft-lbf/ft (600
a freezing test for aggregates of inconclusive frost classifica- kN-m/m )]
tion. The frost heave susceptibility is determined from the D1587 Practice for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of Soils
heave rate during freezing. The thaw weakening susceptibility for Geotechnical Purposes
is determined with the bearing ratio test (see Test Method D1883 Test Method for CBR California Bearing Ratio of
D1883). Laboratory-Compacted Soils
1.2 Thisisanindextestforestimatingtherelativedegreeof D2216 Method for Laboratory Determination of Water
frost-susceptibilityofsoilsusedinpavementsystems.Itcannot (Moisture) Content Soil and Rock by Mass
be used to predict the amount of frost heave nor the strength D2940 Specification for Graded Aggregate Material for
after thawing, nor can it be used for long-term freezing of Bases or Subbases for Highways or Airports
permafrost or for foundations of refrigerated structures. D3550 Practice for Dummy Text Value
1.3 The test methods described are for one sample and uses D4083 Practice for Description of Frozen Soils (Visual-
manual temperature control. It is suggested that four samples Manual Procedure)
be tested simultaneously and that the temperature control and E105 Practice for Probability Sampling of Materials
data taking be automated using a computer. E122 PracticeforCalculatingSampleSizetoEstimatewith
1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the a Specified Tolerable Error, theAverage for a Characteris-
standard. The inch-pound units given in parentheses are for tic of a Lot or Process
information only. 2.2 Military Standards:
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the Army TM 5-818-2 Pavement Design for Frost Conditions,
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the January 1985
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- MIL-STD-619 Unified Soil Classification System for
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- Roads, Airfields, Embankments and Foundations
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions:
ThesetestmethodsareunderthejurisdictionofASTMCommitteeD18onSoil
andRockandarethedirectresponsibilityofSubcommitteeD18.19onFrozenSoils
and Rock.
Current edition approved March 10, 1996. Published June 1996.
Sometimes called California Bearing Ratio (CBR).
3 4
The Army Corps of Engineers uses a frost susceptibility classification proce- Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.02.
dure (TM5-818-2) based on particle size criteria and the Unified Soil Classification Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vols 04.02, 04.03, and 04.08.
System (MIL-STD-619) field. Furthermore, this test should only be used for Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.08.
seasonal freezing and thawing conditions and not for long-term freezing of Available from Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
permafrost or of foundations of refrigerated structures. Office, Washington, DC 20402.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
D5918–96 (2001)
3.1.1 Definitions of the soil components of a freezing and seasonvalues.Thisiscausedbythedecreaseineffectivestress
thawing soil system shall be in accordance with the terminol- resulting from the generation and slow dissipation of excess
ogy in Terminology D653. pore water pressures when frozen soils containing ice are
3.1.2 Definitionsofthecomponentsoffreezingandthawing thawing.
soils shall be in accordance with the terminology in Practice 3.1.3.17 thaw weakening susceptibility—the propensity for
D4083. thestrengthorstiffnessmodulusofasoiltodecreasebelowthe
3.1.3 The following terms are used in conjunction with the normal warm season values.
determination of the frost-susceptibility of soils and supple- 3.1.3.18 unidirectional freezing—soil freezing that occurs
ment those in Practice D4083 and in the glossary on perma- in one direction only.
frost terms by Harris et al.
4. Summary of Test Methods
3.1.3.1 degree of frost-susceptibility— the relative propen-
4.1 Two freeze-thaw cycles are imposed on compacted soil
sityforfrostheaveorthawweakeningincomparisontothatfor
samples, 146 mm (5.75 in.) in diameter and 150 mm (6 in.) in
another soil or to an acceptable level of change.
height. The soil sample is frozen and thawed by applying
3.1.3.2 freeze-thaw cycling—the repeated freezing and
specified constant temperatures in steps at the top and bottom
thawing of soil.
of the sample, with or without water freely available at the
3.1.3.3 freezing (soil)—thechangingofphasefromwaterto
base; a surcharge of 3.5 kPa (0.5 lbf/in.) is applied to the top.
ice in soil.
The temperatures imposed on the sample are adjusted to take
3.1.3.4 freezing, closed system—freezing that occurs under
into account the freezing point depression attributable to salts
conditions that preclude the gain or loss of any water in the
in the soil.At the end of the second thawing cycle, the bearing
system.
ratio is determined. The entire testing procedure can be
3.1.3.5 freezing, open system—freezing that occurs under
completedwithinafive-dayperiod.Thistestingproceduremay
conditions that allow gain or loss of water in the system by
be conducted manually or it may be controlled by a computer.
movement of pore water from or to an external source to
growing ice lenses.
5. Significance and Use
3.1.3.6 freezing-point depression—the number of degrees
5.1 Thesetestmethodscanbeusedtodeterminetherelative
by which the freezing point of an earth material is depressed
frost-susceptibilityofsoilsusedinpavementsystems.Boththe
below the freezing point of pure water.
frost heave susceptibility and the thaw weakening susceptibil-
3.1.3.7 frost heave—the upward or outward movement of
ity can be determined.
the ground or pavement surface (in the direction of heat flow)
5.2 These test methods should be used only for seasonal
caused by the formation of ice in the soil.
frostconditionsandnotforpermanentorlong-termfreezingof
3.1.3.8 frost heave rate—the rate at which the ground or
soil. These test methods also have not been validated for
pavement surface moves upward or outward.
anything other than pavement systems.
3.1.3.9 frost heave susceptibility—the propensity for a soil
5.3 Thesetestmethodscannotbeusedtopredicttheamount
to accumulate ice during freezing and to heave.
of frost heave or thaw weakening in the field. Its purpose is to
3.1.3.10 frost-susceptible soil—soil in which ice accumula-
determine the relative frost-susceptibility classification for use
tion causes frost heave during freezing or thaw weakening
in empirical pavement design methods for seasonal frost
during thawing, or both.
regions.
3.1.3.11 ice lens—a lens-shaped body of ice of any dimen-
sion that forms during unidirectional freezing of soil, the long
6. Apparatus
dimensionbeinginthedirectionnormaltothedirectionofheat
6.1 Compaction Mold—The mold assembly (see Fig. 1)
flow.
shall consist of a steel base plate, a steel hollow cylinder split
3.1.3.12 ice nucleation—the formation of an ice nucleus
into three sections longitudinally, two acrylic spacer disks, six
from water.
acrylic rings, a steel collar, a rubber membrane, and four hose
3.1.3.13 refrigerated structures—artificially refrigerated
clamps.
structures (cold storage facilities, liquefied gas tanks, ice
skating rinks, chilled gas pipelines, and so forth) that cause the
freezing of their foundations.
3.1.3.14 relative frost susceptibility—the amount of frost
heave or thaw weakening of a soil in relation to other soils.
3.1.3.15 seasonally frozen ground—ground that freezes and
thaws annually.
3.1.3.16 thaw weakening—the reduction in strength, bear-
ing capacity, or stiffness modulus below the normal warm-
Harris, S. A. et al, Glossary of Permafrost and Related Ground-Ice Terms,
Permafrost Subcommittee, Associate Committee on Geotechnical Research, Na-
tional Research Council of Canada, Technical Memorandum No. 142, Available
from National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A0R6,
1988. FIG. 1 Compaction Mold Assembly
D5918–96 (2001)
6.1.1 Base Plate—A203-mm (8-in.) square steel base plate split cut through its height at a location diametrically opposite
(see Fig. 1) with a thickness of 25 mm (1.0 in.) and a 6.0-mm the temperature sensor hole.
(0.25-in.) recess to receive and retain the steel side walls and
6.1.6 Clamping Rods—Two9.5-mm(0.375-in.)diameterby
base of the sample.Two 9.5-mm (0.375-in.) diameter threaded
215.9-mm(8.5-in.)longthreadedsteelrodswithtwowingnuts
holes at opposite corners accommodate clamping rods.
to clamp the assembly together.
6.1.2 Compaction Cylinder—A hollow steel cylinder with
6.1.7 Rubber Membrane—A0.36-mm(0.014-in.)thickrub-
an inside diameter of 152.4 mm (6 in.), a wall thickness of 9.5
bermembranewithoutholesordefects.Thisisrequiredtoseal
mm (0.375 in.), and a length of 165.1 mm (6.5 in.). The
the sides of a soil sample that shall be 146.0 mm (5.25 in.) in
cylinder is to be made in three sections that part along the
diameter. The length of the membrane shall be at least 203.0
verticalaxis(seeFig.1).Arecessinthesteelbaseplateaccepts
mm (8.0 in.).
the steel cylinder and restrains it from expanding during
6.1.8 Clamps—Fourhoseclampstoholdthesteelsidewalls
compaction.
together.Theoutsidediameterofthesidewallsaretobe168.0
6.1.3 Collar—Asteelcollarwitha146-mm(5.75-in.)inside
mm (6.75 in.).
diameter and a 185-mm (7.25-in.) outside diameter with a
6.2 Sample Freezing Assembly—The apparatus for freezing
152.4-mm(6-in.)diameterrecessbored6.35mm(0.25in.)into
the soil sample (see Fig. 2) shall consist of temperature-
the bottom. This collar slips over the top of the steel mold to
controlled top and bottom plates, a sample base plate with a
constrain expansion and to provide extra space for soil during
porousstoneandtwoportsforwatersupplyandflushing(filter
compaction. Flanges slide over the steel rods to hold the collar
paper is placed between the stone and the sample bottom), six
in place.
acrylicringsstackedtoformacylinderandarubbermembrane
6.1.4 Spacer Disk—Two circular acrylic spacer disks (see
to contain the soil sample, a temperature-controlled top plate;
Fig. 1), 158.8 mm (6.25 in.) in diameter and 6.4 mm (0.25 in.)
asurchargeweight,aconstanthead(Mariotte)watersupply,an
in height. One spacer disk is placed at the bottom of the
assembly to support the displacement measuring system, and a
compaction mold. The second disk is placed on the top of the
displacement transducer or dial extensometer, or both.
sample during transport and storage.
6.1.5 Rings—Sixacrylicrings(seeFig.1andFig.2)having 6.2.1 Top and Bottom Temperature Control End Plates—
aninsidediameterof146mm(5.75in.)andaheightof25mm The temperature control end plates (see Fig. 2) shall be
(1in.)withawallthicknessof3.18mm(0.125in.).A3.18-mm fabricated from reinforced phenolic resin, with an aluminum
diameter hole shall be drilled at the midheight in each ring to plate cover to provide heat-conductive surfaces contiguous to
receive a temperature sensor. The top and bottom rings shall the top of the soil sample and to the bottom of the base plate.
havea3.18-mmsquarenotchcutinoneedgetoreceivethetop The phenolic resin component of the end plates shall be
and bottom temperature sensor leads. Each ring shall have a machined so that the cooling (or heating) liquid entering each
FIG. 2 Sample Assembly for Freezing Test
D5918–96 (2001)
end plate shall follow a serpentine path and exit at a point bottom temperature control plate. Both sources shall have a
diametrically opposite the entrance point. controllable temperature range from−15°C (5°F) to 15°C
(59°F) and be capable of maintaining the temperature at each
6.2.2 Sample Base Plate—Thecircularaluminumbaseplate
temperaturecontrolplatetowithin+0.2°C(0.4°F)ofthepreset
(seeFig.2)istobe150mm(6in.)indiameterand38mm(1.5
temperatures.
in.) in height. The top of the base plate is to have two
6.4 Temperature Control Chamber—The temperature con-
concentric circular recesses in its top surface to hold a circular
trolchamberinwhichthefreeze-thawtestsaretobeconducted
porousstoneorastainlesssteelporousdisk.Onerecessistobe
shall have inside dimensions that will house the test sample
138.1mm(5.4in.)indiameterandhaveadepthof6mm(0.25
3 3
freezing assembly. Fig. 3 shows a 0.35-m (12- ft ) capacity
in.).Thesecondrecessistohaveadiameterof125.4mm(4.94
chest-type freezer adapted to accommodate four test samples.
in.)andadepthof9.5mm(0.375in.)tofacilitateaccessofthe
A refrigerator or cold room could also be used. The cold
watersupplytotheundersideoftheporousstone(ordisk).The
chamber shall have the capability of maintaining the ambient
baseplateistohavetwoportsdiametricallyopposite,connect-
air temperature around the test sample assemblies at 2°C
ing to the deepest recess in the base (see Fig. 2). One port is to
(35.6°F) within 61.0°C (2°F).
beconnectedtotheexternalwatersupplyreservoir;thesecond
6.5 Temperature Measuring System—Thetemperaturemea-
port is used to drain water and to flush air from beneath the
suring system shall have a range from−15°C (5.0
...