Frost heave is a primary mechanism of pavement distress in cold regions. The distress exhibited is dependent on the frost susceptibility of the soil within the depth of frost penetration, the availability of subsurface water, and the duration of freezing surface temperatures. Cement stabilization is one technique used to mitigate the effects of frost heave. The tube suction test (TST) is one possible method for determining the frost susceptibility of soils in the laboratory. The purpose of this research was to assess the utility of the TST for identifying non-frost-susceptible (NFS) materials stabilized with cement. This research investigated two aggregate base materials from Alaska that have exhibited negligible frost susceptibility in the field. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS), final dielectric value in the TST, and frost heave at three levels of cement treatment and in the untreated condition were evaluated for both materials. The data collected in this research indicate that, for the two known NFS materials included in this study, the TST is a good indicator of frost heave behavior. The total heave of the untreated materials was approximately 0.15 in. at the conclusion of the 10-day freezing period, which classifies these materials as NFS according to the U.S Army Corp of Engineers. Both materials had final dielectric values of less than 10 in the TST, indicating a superior moisture susceptibility rating. The results of this research suggest that the TST should be considered for identifying NFS materials, including those stabilized with cement. Additional testing should be performed on known NFS materials stabilized with cement and other additives to further assess the validity of using the TST to differentiate between frost-susceptible and NFS materials. Consistent with previous studies, this research indicates that, once a sufficient amount of cement has been added to significantly reduce frost heave, additional cement has only a marginal effect on further reduction. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary expense in construction, the minimum cement content required for preventing frost heave should be identified through laboratory testing and specified by the engineer. In this work, UCS values ranging between 200 psi and 400 psi after a 7-day cure were typically associated with this minimum cement content. Because the scope of this research is limited to two aggregate base materials, further testing is also necessary to validate this finding.

Abstract This PhD thesis is composed of a synopsis and five published papers that are focused on both the research results of studies on electrical properties of road materials and subgrade soils and their seasonal changes and the use of Ground Penetrating Radar technique in traffic infrastructure surveys. The data for this survey was collected mainly in Finland, Texas, Scotland and Sweden and thus presents many kinds of road materials, subgrade soils and climate conditions. The synopsis of this work begins with a presentation of the theory and basic principles of GPR techniques. Special attention is given to the dielectric properties and seasonal changes of unbound road materials and subgrade soils. The synopsis also presents different kinds of GPR hardware systems as well as recommendations and experiences from different data collection, processing and interpretation techniques. Special attention is given to a method whereby GPR data is integrated with other road survey data and then analysed using a number of structural diagnostic methods. Finally, the synopsis provides an overview of of the various GPR applications on roads and streets, bridges, railways and airports. The laboratory test results presented in this work show that the relationship between dielectric value and increasing water content is not linear or exponential but more likely a series of logarithmic functions. Laboratory results also showed that dielectric dispersion, which can be related to poorly performing subgrade soils and road aggregates, takes place mainly in loosely bound adsorption water and capillary water layer. As such these moisture sensitive problem materials can also be identified during the dry summer seasons when they are stiff. Dielectric value and electrical conductivity can also be related to other technical properties of road materials and subgrade soils such as frost susceptibility, shear strength, plastic limit, compaction degree and voids content. Laboratory tests and field data collected using the Percostation technique also demonstrate that a knowledge of seasonal changes and thermodynamics is very important in understanding and modelling the mechanical behaviour of road structures. Finally, laboratory and field tests indicate that colloids have an important role in the failure mechanism of the road materials. This research demonstrates that the GPR technique not only gives valuable structural information on the different types of structures and subgrade soils but it provides a wide range of information of the electrical properties of the materials under survey which can be further related to their mechanical performance. The best information will be gained if GPR data is analysed together with other non destructive testing data collected form the roads, railways and airports.