Laboratory evaluation of wicking nonwoven geotextiles for mitigating freeze-thaw damage in cold-region roadways

Abstract

Excess soil water in seasonal frost regions drives pavement deterioration through frost heave and thaw weakening. Thus, fast and effective drainage is crucial for preventing freeze-thaw induced damage. This extended abstract presents a preliminary element-scale laboratory comparison of a Wicking Nonwoven Geotextile (WNWG) and a conventional nonwoven geotextile (NWG). Instrumented sand columns were subjected to one freeze-thaw cycle while temperature, VMC, frost heave, and thaw settlement were monitored. The WNWG specimen maintained relative uniform VMC along the depth, whereas the NWG retained more water in soils below soil-NWG interface. The NWG developed 10.0 mm of frost heave and 2.8 mm of settlement; the WNWG showed no heave (-1.1mm vertical deformation) and no settlement. Under the tested conditions, WNWG reduced water availability near the freezing zone and suppressed freeze-thaw-induced deformation, suggesting promise for cold-region roadway drainage and freeze-thaw damage mitigation.