Impact of sodium sulfate on soil frost heaving in an open system

The existence of solutes and their redistribution during freezing have a deep influence on the process of soil freezing. We performed unidirectional freezing experiments in an open system with red clay collected at the Beiluhe test site along the Qinghai–Tibet Railway. The groundwater supply of the soil was simulated in the laboratory experiment by attaching a liquid replenishment system to the bottom of the sample container. In order to see the influence of the salt on the evolution of the sample during unidirectional freezing, two types of experiments were performed. (i) The soil samples were supplied with a sodium sulfate solute of 5% concentration, and (ii) only distilled water without any salty component was added. Based on the freezing temperature measurements of salty soil, migration of sodium sulfate solution towards a lower temperature zone during freezing 0 °C isotherm in the soil moved gently towards deeper layers, but frost depth of the soil ascended slightly with time when the sample was constantly cooled. Compared to the distilled water replenishment, the amount of frost-heaving was smaller in the soil column with sodium sulfate solution replenishment. Based on the frost depth curve, the solubility curve of the Na₂SO₄–H₂O system and the amount of frost heaving and salt expansion in the soil column we have calculated the amount of frost heaving and salt expansion. In an early stage of the experiment deformation of the soil column was mainly caused by frost heaving, while in a later phase crystallization of the sodium sulfate played a lager role. This conclusion is confirmed by the results of the dry density measurement after the experiments.