Use of Cellular Concrete for Air Convection Embankment to Protect Permafrost Foundations in Cold Regions: Feasibility Study

Abstract

The air convection embankment (ACE) is a technique used to protect permafrost from thawing in road construction in cold regions. However, the desired materials needed for ACE are not readily available, which prevents its extensive use in Alaska. To overcome the limitation of traditional ACE, and further improve the cooling effect of ACE, this study investigated the feasibility of using cellular concrete as an alternative material for ACE in cold regions. The heat transfer patterns of the cellular concrete ACE, the crushed-rock ACE, and the sand/gravel embankment were studied using the numerical simulation. The results of the present study show that the cooling performance of both cellular concrete ACE and crushed-rock ACE are superior to the traditional sand/gravel embankment. The cellular concrete ACE has better heat insulation property in the summer, and the crushed-rock ACE has stronger natural convection in winter. For the annual cooling efficiency of the two different ACE techniques, the proposed cellular concrete ACE has a better cooling effect on the foundation soil than the crushed-rock ACE. These results indicate that the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of construction materials have significant impacts on the performance of the ACE.