Engineering Applications in Permafrost Areas 48 1 Solution to frost heave of ice arenas

• Main Author: C. E. Leonoffandr. Lo
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.557.822; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/cpc/cpc4-481.pdf

Frost heave of ice arenas has been a major problem in the Vancouver area owing to an environment with plentiful rainfall, freeze-thaw cycles for seven months of the year, and frost-susceptible soils. This paper presents the case history of a typical skating rink, which suffered excessive, irregulaf heaves in the range of 3 to 8 in. (7.6 to 20.3 cm) and resulted in shutdown of operations nine years after construction. The remedial measures involved removal of the frozen soil, replacement with free-draining granular backfill and construction of a thermal barrier at foundation level to prevent passage of frost from the ice-making system into the subsoil. The thermal barrier consists of Styrofoam insulating layers, and an active heating system involving circulation of warm brine through plastic pipes beneath the insu-lation. The brine is warmed by utilizing waste heat from the refrigeration plant, and thus is very eco-nomical in operating costs compared to conventional systems. This paper describes the analysis of the problem, design, and practical construction techniques used to reconstruct the rink with a frost-free sub-base, which allows for year-round operation of a level ice surface with a minimum of maintenance. Le gonflement dfi au gel dans les patinoires est un probltme majeur dans la region de Vancouver a