Understanding the thermal regime of road embankments in cold climates during winter is essential for efficient road design and accurate estimation of maintenance frequencies to reduce freeze-induced damage. In response to the challenging climate conditions in northern Sweden, an experimental field setup was designed to assess the thermal impact of culverts and accumulated snow in ditches on the thermal regime of road embankments during a winter season. This study provides detailed information on the experimental setup, highlights potential challenges from installation phase to data acquisition, and addresses measurement errors. Methods to ensure accuracy and obtain reliable data are also presented. Additionally, some of the obtained measurement results are included in this paper. The results show that snow impacts the thermal regime of the embankment from the onset of accumulation in the ditch, when the snow cover is still thin, until it reaches a depth of 65 cm. Beyond this depth, the soil beneath the snow remains almost unfrozen throughout the winter season. Additionally, the temperature distribution measurements within the embankment indicate that freezing progresses faster near the culvert compared to the rest of the embankment. However, once the culvert ends are insulated by snow cover, the frost depth in the soil near the culvert does not increase significantly, while the rest of the road continues to freeze gradually to greater depths throughout the winter season. The measurement results presented in this study provide researchers with a reliable dataset for validating numerical models in related research areas simulating cold-climate conditions. Additionally, these results enhance the understanding of the thermal regime of road embankments in typical cold climates and offer valuable insights for planning road maintenance and construction in such regions. Furthermore, this study provides essential information for researchers aiming to design and optimize experimental measurement setups in similar investigations.

Strains at the bottom of a large-scale experimental embankment dam were measured by fibre optics. The strains were measured in four sections, orthogonal to the dam axis. The fibre optic set up was operational after finalising the dam construction. The measurements were conducted continuously during the impoundment and later during the operation with an upstream water level of a maximum of 3.5 m. Based on the measurements, the post-construction behaviour of the dam was observed, indicating settlements. The foundation of the dam is inclined, which was captured by the measurements, with indications of more shear stresses developing at the downstream side. Variations of strains in the different dam zones were observed. The impoundment is causing most of the strain development in the dam. The strains develop further over time after the reservoir is at its maximum level, indicating a transient process is in place.

Frost-related damages around culverts are a common problem for roads and railways built on seasonally frozen ground. Culverts create altered thermal conditions in the embankment section where they are installed, leading to deeper frost penetration around the culverts compared to the rest of the road. However, estimating the depth of frost penetration and consequential heave is difficult due to the complex thermal conditions inside culverts, which depend on various factors. To monitor the influence of culverts on the surrounding soil and assess the effect of temperature distribution inside the culvert on frost penetration in the embankment, temperatures were measured inside a 0.6 m diameter culvert and in the soil 0.30 m from the culvert in northern Sweden during the winter of 2023. Control measurements were also performed in a road section without a culvert. Temperatures were recorded in seven locations in the embankment at depths ranging from 0.1 m to 2.55 m. Effect of the temperature distribution inside the culvert on frost penetration in the embankment is assessed. The results of this study could help in the design and management of culverts in cold climates and improve our understanding of the thermal conditions around culverts. This field study is part of a larger project where collected data will be used to verify numerical models, enabling assessment of the effect of culverts of any size on temperature distribution.

Ground thermal regime in cold regions is influenced by seasonal snow cover, which acts as an insulating layer influencing the heat transfer between the atmosphere and the underlying soil. The thermal properties of the snow change with different environmental conditions, playing a crucial role to determine the thermal state of the sub-surface soil. Previous research in this field have faced challenges to accurately characterize thermal properties of seasonal snowpacks under varying spatial and meteorological conditions. To address this issue, two experimental field setups were constructed in Luleå, Sweden, to observe the temperature distribution of the snowpack and the ground sub-surface soil. The first experiment studied a naturally accumulated, undisturbed snowpack. The second experiment was conducted on a roadside ditch where the snowpack consists of a combination of natural accumulated snow and plowed snow from the adjacent road. In this research, heat transfer processes at both field sites were monitored over a winter season each to better understand the complex relationship between snow cover properties and sub-surface thermal regime. Furthermore, thermal conductivity of a basal layer in each snowpack was calculated over a time period, based on the field measurements. The results showed that the history of snow deposition, meteorological conditions, and changes in soil moisture impact the metamorphism process within the snowpack, thereby altering the structure of the layers of snowpack and its influence on the thermal regime of the sub-surface soil. The findings of this research have important applications in various sectors, from mining to road maintenance and agriculture.

Tjäldjup, tjällyftningar och tjällossningsproblem är årligen återkomman­de fenomen, som inträffar när jordmaterial fryser och tinar. I Sverige är frysningen säsongsmässig, med relativt korta vintrar i söder och upp till sex månader långa i norra Sverige. Tjällossningen sker under våren och avslutas i norra Sverige först vid midsommartid och är inte sällan förknippad med att vägars bärförmåga kan påverkas negativt. Tjäldjupet ökar successivt under vintern med mer eller mindre ojämn tjällyftning som följd. Graden av tjällyftning beror av temperatur i uteluft, jordmaterial och tillgång på vatten. Just ojämnhet i tjällyftningar för vägar och järnvägar är ett problem då det påverkar såväl komfort som säkerhet. Ojämna tjällyftningar behandlas för närvarande i tre olika doktorandprojekt vid LTU och dessa beskrivs här.

Uneven frost heave in roads and railways is a frequent problem in cold regions leading to degradation of structures. To improve drainage, culverts are frequently integrated into road and railway embankments. The presence of culverts changes the temperature distribution in the surrounding soil as cold air passes through the culvert. Consequently, frost depth and corresponding frost heave are increased in the vicinity of the culvert compared to the rest of the structure if frost susceptible soil is present. For an accurate frost related design, information of heat balance between the culvert and the surrounding soil is needed. A field study focusing on convective heat transfer in culverts was conducted in northern Sweden by the authors. Temperatures and air velocities in culverts of three sizes (0.6, 0.8 and 3.4 m) were recorded. Analysis of obtained data is presented in this paper with emphasis on the influence of air velocity on the temperature distribution. Influence of wind on development of airflow in culverts is also addressed. Accuracy of trained gaussian process regression (GPR) models is estimated in predicting temperature distribution inside of culverts. It is concluded, based on the field measurement data, that airflow can significantly affect temperature distribution inside culverts and development of airflow in culverts is largely influenced by the orientation of the culvert in relation to the predominant wind direction.

Characterization of tailings deposits is associated with significant challenges in tailings dam design and dam safety assessments. One of the challenges is static liquefaction in the deposited tailings and how this has to be addressed in stability assessments. Concerns have led to design concepts that deposited tailings considered susceptible to liquefaction, will liquefy. Facillities should therefore be designed for such post-liquefaction scenario, i.e. fluidized tailings. Existing upstream-constructed tailings dams are seldom built for a design case with post-liquefaction strength in the tailings. Consequently, mining companies must take dam safety-enhancing measures and rapidly conduct major changes in their tailings dam design.

At the same time, there are questions and uncertainties in evaluating static liquefaction potential in tailings that must be addressed. The uncertainties are, among others, related to differences between natural sands and tailings. There is a need to address the applicability of today’s evaluation methods on tailings and this paper will describe how a research project at Luleå University of Technology, funded by Boliden, will investigate and address the uncertainties in the evaluation. Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) in a calibration chamber will be undertaken in the project. A new calibration chamber for CPT is developed, where silty-sandy tailings material will be tested in a controlled laboratory environment. Combined with other laboratory test results, the CPT calibration chamber results will be used to derive new and update existing correlations between CPT data and tailings properties. The research will focus on the mechanical properties of tailings and its influence on the soil behavior around the penetrating cone. This paper will highlight uncertainties in state interpretation from CPT in tailings, present the design work of the calibration chamber and the expectations for the outcome of the CPT calibration chamber research.