The application of auto-temperature-controlled ventilation embankment in Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Auto-temperature-controlled ventilation embankment is an effective engineering measure for “cooling roadbed”. Practice proves that this new method can sufficiently make use of natural cold energy. It has the advantages of higher efficiency, better cooling effect and feasibility in engineering practice, and wider application in various environment, etc. And also, it is comparatively cheap in project cost. Through practice in the field for half a year, the testing results show that, with the application of auto-temperature-controlled system, the artificial permafrost table has been raised by 65 cm. The artificial permafrost table was basically at the embankment bottom, and the action of freeze-thaw circle on engineering stability was effectively avoided. In the month with highest ground temperature, in the scope with 1–4 m in depth, including the majority of the embankment and the upper part in the original seasonal layer, the ground temperature decreased by 0.7°C. Through thermal flux calculation in the original seasonal layer, in the month with the maximum thermal flux coming into permafrost, it is found that the thermal flux reduces nearly by half. Coming into the cooling period for nearly a month, the ground temperature in entire auto-temperature-controlled embankment is close to zero, and the foundation is at negative temperature. But in a large region in the embankment and foundation the ground temperature was over 0°C and varied from 0°C to0.39°C in ordinary ventilation embankment.     

Impact of permafrost change on the Qinghai-Tibet Railroad engineering

Permafrost along the Qinghai-Tibet Railroad produces the great change under the influence of climate change, such as the decreasing of permafrost table, the rising of permafrost temperatures, etc. Climate effect on permafrost is the long-term process. Engineering action makes rapidly permafrost the large extent change. On the basis of analyzing the permafrost change under the climate change and engineering action, the thermal regime and spatial distribution of permafrost are predicted for air temperature rising 1℃ and 2℃ after 50 years in this paper. The results show that climate change results in the larger change for the thermal regime and spatial distribution of permafrost. Permafrost change will produce the great effect on the Qinghai-Tibet Railroad engineering, not only resulting in the decreasing of permafrost table beneath the roadbed, but also resulting in thawing settlement due to the thawing of ground ice near permafrost table. The idea of cooling roadbed and active protecting permafrost for the Qinghai-Tibet Railroad engineering could adjust and control the permafrost thermal state, some better methods are provided to ensure the engineering stability in the areas of warm permafrost and high ice content.     

Seasonal differences in seismic responses of embankment on a sloping ground in permafrost regions

Because of its direct influence on the amount of unfrozen water and on the strength of intergranular ice in a frozen soil, temperature has a significant effect on all aspects of the mechanical behavior of the active layer in which temperature fluctuates above and below 0 °C. Hence seismic responses of engineering structures such as embankment on a sloping ground in permafrost regions exhibit obvious differences with seasonal alternation. To explore the distinctive seismic characteristics of a railway embankment on the sloping ground in permafrost regions, a coupled water-heat-dynamics model is built based on theories of heat transfer, soil moisture dynamics, frozen soil mechanics, soil dynamics, and so on. A well-monitored railway embankment on a sloping ground in Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is taken as an example to simulate seismic responses in four typical seasons in the 25th service year. The numerical results show that seismic acceleration, velocity and displacement responses are significantly different in four typical seasons, and the responses on October 15 are much higher among the four seasons. When the earthquake is over, there are still permanent differential deformations in the embankment and even severe damages on the left slope on October 15. Therefore, this position should be monitored closely and repaired timely to ensure safe operation. In addition, the numerical model and results may be a reference for maintenance, design and study on other embankments in permafrost regions.     

青藏高等级公路斜插式热棒路基降温效果数值分析

以青海共和至玉树高等级公路中的实际设计断面为模型,通过数值模拟研究斜插式热棒路基和斜插式热棒-XPS复合路基的降温效果。结果表明,在气候变暖背景下,两种路基在一定时期内可以降低其下部多年冻土温度,提高路基下冻土上限,但随着气温逐渐升高,两种路基反压护道下多年冻土中有融化核出现,并且斜插式热棒路基下多年冻土中及斜插式热棒-XPS复合路基填土中有融化核出现;增加XPS保温板,在一定时期内可以提升斜插式热棒路基的降温能力,使斜插式热棒-XPS复合路基降温效果优于斜插式热棒路基,且前者冻土上限始终高于后者,但对于增强其长期降温的效果并不显著。     

Impact of heat advection on the thermal regime of roads built on permafrost

In northern regions, transportation infrastructure can experience severe structural damages due to permafrost degradation. Water infiltration and subsurface water flow under an embankment affect the energy balance of roadways and underlying permafrost. However, the quantification of the processes controlling these changes and a detailed investigation of their thermal impacts remain largely unknown due to a lack of available long-term embankment temperature data in permafrost regions. Here, we report observations of heat advection linked to surface water infiltration and subsurface flow based on a 9-year (from 2009 to 2017) thermal monitoring at an experimental road test site built on ice-rich permafrost conditions in southwestern Yukon, Canada. Our results show that snowmelt water infiltration in the spring rapidly increases temperature in the upper portion of the embankment. The earlier disappearance of snow deposited at the embankment slope increases the thawing period and the temperature gradient in the embankment compared with the natural ground. Infiltrated summer rainfall water lowered the near-surface temperatures and subsequently warmed embankment fill materials down to 3.6-m depth. Heat advection caused by the flow of subsurface water produced warming rates at depth in the embankment subgrade up to two orders of magnitude faster than by atmospheric warming (heat conduction). Subsurface water flow promoted permafrost thawing under the road embankment and led to an increase in active layer thickness. We conclude that the thermal stability of roadways along the Alaska Highway corridor is not maintainable in situations where water is flowing under the infrastructure unless mitigation techniques are used. Severe structural damages to the highway embankment are expected to occur in the next decade.     

Ground-temperature controlling effects of duct-ventilated railway embankment in permafrost regions

Based on observed data from field-testing embankment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, ground-temperature controlling effect of duct-ventilated embankment is studied in this paper.The results show that ventilation ducts can effectively cool the soils surrounding the ducts of the embankment, and the heat budget of the ambient soils in a year shows as heat release. Temperature status of the permafrost below the embankment with ducts buried in the relatively high position is similar to that of the common embankment. The permafrost processes warming all along in the two freezing-thawing cycles when the embankment was constructed. However, the temperature of the frozen soils below the embankment, in which the ducts buried in the relatively low position, rises a little in the initial stage. After that, it cools down gradually. At the same time,ventilation ducts can effectively reduce the thermal disturbance caused by the filled soils. The frozen soils below the common embankment and that with high-posited ducts absorb heat all along in the initial two cycles. While the soils below the embankment with low-posited ducts begin to release heat in the second cycle. This phenomenon proves that the ventilation embankment with low-posited ducts shows efficient temperature-controlling effect. Such embankment can actively cool the subgrade soils and therefore keeps the roadbed thermally stable.     

Ground-temperature controlling effects of ductventilated railway embankment in permafrost regions

Based on observed data from field-testing embankment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, ground-temperature controlling effect of duct-ventilated embankment is studied in this paper. The results show that ventilation ducts can effectively cool the soils surrounding the ducts of the embankment, and the heat budget of the ambient soils in a year shows as heat release. Temperature status of the permafrost below the embankment with ducts buried in the relatively high position is similar to that of the common embankment. The permafrost processes warming all along in the two freezing-thawing cycles when the embankment was constructed. However, the temperature of the frozen soils below the embankment, in which the ducts buried in the relatively low position, rises a little in the initial stage. After that, it cools down gradually. At the same time, ventilation ducts can effectively reduce the thermal disturbance caused by the filled soils. The frozen soils below the common embankment and that with high-posited ducts absorb heat all along in the initial two cycles. While the soils below the embankment with low-posited ducts begin to release heat in the second cycle. This phenomenon proves that the ventilation embankment with low-posited ducts shows efficient temperature-controlling effect. Such embankment can actively cool the subgrade soils and therefore keeps the roadbed thermally stable.     

多年冻土区桥梁桩基础地震响应的模型振动试验研究

以青藏铁路高温不稳定多年冻土区"以桥代路"工程——清水河特大桥的桩基础为研究目标,在负温条件下对该桥梁桩基础结构的缩尺模型进行了地震荷载作用的模型振动试验,研究了地震荷载作用下桩-冻土相互作用,分析了结构的地震响应特征,明确了桩体动荷响应对桩周冻土地温和应变的影响规律,最后对地震荷载作用下高温不稳定多年冻土区桥梁桩基础的稳定性作出了评价.     

Numerical analysis for cooling effect of open boundary ripped-rock embankment on Qinghai-Tibetan railway

At present, the Qinghai-Tibetan railway is being built, and it will pass across more than 550-km perma-frost regions. Therefore, the key to the stability of therailway embankment lies in solving the permafrost problem. Because global warming and existence of railway tend to degrade the permafrost in these re-gions[1], more difficulties and problems are induced in the construction and maintenance of railway. In the area where the mean annual air temperature is higher than a certain value, the …     

Interaction study of permafrost and highway along Qinghai-Xizang Highway

Qinghai-Xizang Highway crosses permafrost areas, sporadic permafrost areas and seasonal frozen soil areas. It is very important to study the engineering geology of frozen soil in construc-tion of cold regions engineering, and the choices of engineering st…     

Evaluating model of frozen soil environment change under engineering actions

The change of frozen soil environment is evaluated by permafrost thermal stability, thermal thaw sensibility and surface landscape stability and the quantitatively evaluating model of frozen soil environment is proposed in this paper. The evaluating model of frozen soil environment is calculated by 28 ground temperature measurements along Qinghai-Xizang Highway. The relationships of thermal thaw sensibility and freezing and thawing processes and seasonally thawing depth, thermal stability and permafrost table temperature, mean annual ground temperature and seasonally thawing depth, and surface landscape stability and freezing and thawing hazards and their forming possibility are analyzed. The results show that thermal stability, thermal thaw sensibility and surface landscape stability can be used to evaluate and predict the change of frozen soil environment under human engineering action.     

青藏高原多年冻土区天然气水合物形成条件模拟研究

基于野外气体地球化学调查研究,以及前人有关冻土表层温度、冻土层内地温梯度、冻土层下地温梯度等的资料,对青藏高原多年冻土区天然气水合物的形成条件开展了模拟研究. 结果显示：研究区冻土条件能够满足天然气水合物形成的基本要求;气体组成、冻土特征（如冻土厚度或冻土表层温度、冻土层内地温梯度、冻土层下地温梯度等）是影响研究区天然气水合物稳定带厚度的最重要因素,其在不同点位上的差异性可能导致天然气水合物分布的不均匀性的主要原因;研究区最可能的天然气水合物为甲烷与重烃（乙烷和丙烷）的混合气体型天然气水合物;在天然气水合物分布的区域,其产出的上临界点深度在几十至一百多米间,下临界点深度在几百至近一千米间,厚度可达到几百米. 与Canadian Mallik三角洲多年冻土区相比,青藏高原多年冻土区除了冻土厚度小些外,其他条件,如冻土层内地温梯度、冻土层下地温梯度、气体组成等条件较为相近,具有一定的可比性,预示着良好的天然气水合物潜力.     

Hydrological impacts of seismic lines in the wetland‐dominated zone of thawing,discontinuous permafrost,Northwest Territories,Canada

Intensive seismic exploration in the Northwest Territories began in the late 1960s. Since that time, the legacy of seismic surveys – i.e. straight lines cutting through boreal forest and tundra – has remained visible throughout northern Canada and Alaska. The removal of trees and compaction of the ground surface alter the thermophysical properties of the active (i.e. seasonally thawed) layer to such an extent that the underlying permafrost seriously degrades or even disappears completely. Such a transformation along linear corridors that cut indiscriminately across different terrain types with contrasting hydrological functions has potentially serious implications to the redistribution of water and energy within and among landscape units with feedbacks to permafrost thaw, land cover change and run‐off generation. This paper characterizes the flow and storage of water and energy along a seismic cut line in the high boreal zone of discontinuous permafrost in order to improve the understanding of these processes, their interactions and hydrological implications. As such, this paper lays a conceptual foundation for the development of numerical models needed to predict the hydrological and thermal impact of seismic lines in this sensitive region. We used ground‐penetrating radar and multi‐year ground temperatures and water levels along a seismic line to estimate the degree of permafrost degradation below it. The seismic line studied extends from a permafrost‐free wetland (flat bog), over a permafrost body (peat plateau) and into another permafrost‐free wetland (channel fen). It was found that once thaw had lowered the permafrost table below the ground surface elevation of the flat bog and channel fen, the seismic line forms a hydrological connection between them. It was also shown that during the permafrost thaw process, seismic lines develop a perennially thawed layer (talik) between the overlying active layer and underlying permafrost and that the talik conveys water as a conduit throughout the year. The implications of such drainage through seismic lines and networks on basin drainage in peatland‐dominated regions with discontinuous permafrost are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal regimes and degradation modes of permafrost along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway

Permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is widespread, thin, and thermally unstable. Under a warming climate during the past few decades, it has been degrading extensively with generally rising ground temperatures, the deepening of the maximum summer thaw, and with lessening of the winter frost penetration. The permafrost has degraded downward, upward and laterally. Permafrost has thinned or, in some areas, has totally disappeared. The modes of permafrost degradation have great significance in geocryology, in cold regions engineering and in cold regions environmental management. Permafrost in the interior of the QTP is well represented along the Qing-hai-Tibet Highway (QTH), which crosses the Plateau through north to south and traverses 560 km of permafrost-impacted ground. Horizontally, the degradation of permafrost occurs more visibly in the sporadic permafrost zone in the vicinity of the lower limit of permafrost (LLP), along the margins of taliks, and around permafrost islands. Downward degradation develops when the maximum depth of seasonal thaw exceeds the maximum depth of seasonal frost, and it generally results in the formation of a layered talik disconnecting the permafrost from the seasonal frost layer. The downward degrada- tion is divided into four stages: 1) initial degradation, 2) accelerated degradation, 3) layered talik and 4) finally the conversion of permafrost to seasonally frozen ground (SFG). The upward degradation occurs when the geothermal gradient in permafrost drops to less than the geothermal gradients in the underlying thawed soil layers. Three types of permafrost temperature curves (stable, degrading, and phase-changing transitory permafrost) illustrate these modes. Although strong differentiations in local conditions and permafrost types exist, the various combinations of the three degradation modes will ultimately transform permafrost into SFG. Along the QTH, the downward degradation has been proceeding at annual rates of 6 to 25 cm, upward degradation at 12 to 30 cm, and lateral degradation in the sporadic permafrost zone at 62 to 94 cm during the last quarter century. These rates exceed the 4 cm per year for the past 20 years reported for the discontinuous permafrost zone in subarctic Alaska, the 3 to 7 cm per year reported in Mongolia, and that of the thaw-stable permafrost in subarctic Yakutia and Arctic Alaska.     

Distribution and changes of active layer thickness (ALT) and soil temperature (TTOP) in the source area of the Yellow River using the GIPL model

Active layer thickness (ALT) is critical to the understanding of the surface energy balance, hydrological cycles, plant growth, and cold region engineering projects in permafrost regions. The temperature at the bottom of the active layer, a boundary layer between the equilibrium thermal state (in permafrost below) and transient thermal state (in the atmosphere and surface canopies above), is an important parameter to reflect the existence and thermal stability of permafrost. In this study, the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Model (GIPL) was used to model the spatial distribution of and changes in ALT and soil temperature in the Source Area of the Yellow River (SAYR), where continuous, discontinuous, and sporadic permafrost coexists with seasonally frozen ground. Monthly air temperatures downscaled from the CRU TS3.0 datasets, monthly snow depth derived from the passive microwave remote-sensing data SMMR and SSM/I, and vegetation patterns and soil properties at scale of 1:1000000 were used as input data after modified with GIS techniques. The model validation was carried out carefully with ALT in the SAYR has significantly increased from 1.8 m in 1980 to 2.4 m in 2006 at an average rate of 2.2 cm yr^?1. The mean annual temperature at the bottom of the active layer, or temperature at the top of permafrost (TTOP) rose substantially from ?1.1°C in 1980 to ?0.6°C in 2006 at an average rate of 0.018°C yr^?1. The increasing rate of the ALT and TTOP has accelerated since 2000. Regional warming and degradation of permafrost has also occurred, and the changes in the areal extent of regions with a sub-zero TTOP shrank from 2.4×10⁴ to 2.2×10⁴ km² at an average rate of 74 km² yr^?1. Changes of ALT and temperature have adversely affected the environmental stability in the SAYR.     

基于Sentinel-1 SAR数据的黑河上游冻土形变时序InSAR监测

多年冻土活动层变化导致冻土区大范围地面变形,严重破坏区域内基础设施和水文地质条件,亟需加强活动层季节冻融过程的观测研究.本文提出一种基于分布式目标的小基线集时序InSAR(DSs-SBAS)的冻土形变监测方法.该方法采用分布式目标提取和特征值分解算法,并结合基于地温-形变约束关系的参考点选取新策略,提高了冻土形变监测结果的时空分辨率和可靠性.以祁连山黑河西支源头的野牛沟为研究区域,通过对27景Sentinel-1SAR影像进行时序InSAR分析,获取了2014-2016年该区多年冻土的形变时间序列和年均形变速率,并利用Stefan模型联合地温数据估算其季节性形变幅度.实地踏勘和结果分析表明:(1)研究区大部分多年冻土处于稳定状态(-1.0^+1.0cm·a^-1),在地形陡峭的南坡边缘及含冰量丰富的野牛沟河上游两侧沟底部分区域存在较大形变;(2)区域内冻土形变时间序列呈现年周期变化,冻土冻融形变存在季节性周期形变和季节性波动下沉两种形变特征,形变幅度和速率最大可达6.0cm和-3.0cm·a^-1;(3)不同区域的活动层冻结/融化始日和冻土形变存在明显差异,主要和冻土地貌、土壤类型以及活动层厚度有关.本文提出的方法在青藏高原多年冻土区大范围冻融监测和活动层厚度反演研究方面具有很大的应用潜力.     

多年冻土区道路工程病害类型及特征研究

多年冻土及多年冻土区恶劣的环境给工程构筑物的建设及维护带来了极大的挑战。以青藏工程走廊内的青藏公路、青藏铁路两大道路工程为研究对象,系统论述了其路基工程、桥梁工程、涵洞工程的主要病害类型及分布特征。现场调查显示,青藏公路80%的路基病害由多年冻土融沉所引起,主要表现为严重的不均匀沉降变形和纵向裂缝,且主要发生在高填方路基上。这两种病害与多年冻土地温及含冰量密切相关,地温越高,含冰量越大,病害越为严重。青藏公路桥梁工程的病害主要集中在附属工程及上部结构上,而涵洞工程病害则主要由冻胀、融沉作用、泥石流淤积、冰塞以及施工原因导致。青藏铁路沿线现场监测及调查结果表明,目前铁路路基病害主要为高温冻土区普通路基的（不均匀）沉降变形、纵向裂缝、路桥过渡段沉降变形、风沙灾害及块碎石材料风化引起的冷却路基结构失效等。此外,青藏工程走廊内广泛分布着包括冻胀丘、冰椎、冰幔、热融湖塘等不良冻土地质现象,当上述不良地质现象与工程接近时,会对道路工程的稳定性造成威胁,严重时可导致一些工程病害的发生。     

The Influence of Earth Temperature on the Dynamic Characteristics of Frozen Soil and the Parameters of Ground Motion on Sites of Permafrost

Earth temperature is one of the most important factors influencing the mechanical properties of frozen soil. Based on the field investigation of the characteristics of ground deformation and ground failure caused by the Ms8.1 earthquake in the west of the Kuniun Mountain Pass,China, the influence of temperature on the dynamic constitutive relationship, dynamic elastic modulus, damping ratio and dynamic strength of frozen soil was quantitatively studied by means of the dynamic triaxial test. Moreover, the characteristics of ground motion on a permafrost site under different temperatures were analyzed for the four profiles of permafrost along the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Railway using the time histories of ground motionacceleration with 3 exceedance probabilities of the Kunlun Mountains area. The influences of temperature on the seismic displacement, velocity, acceleration and response spectrum on permafrost ground were studied quantitatively. A scientific basis was presented for earthquake disaster mitigation for engineering foundations, highways and underground engineering in permafrost areas.     

季冻区砂性土堤防水分场温度场及水分迁移试验研究

以黑龙江干流堤防工程实际环境为研究基础,依托水分迁移试验装置,测试了干流堤防典型砂性土试样在冻融循环下的温度场、水分场、应力场的分布情况。结果表明：堤顶混凝土公路破坏与堤身不均匀沉降有关,温度变化引起堤基含水率出现梯度变化,从而出现应力场变化,且温度梯度含水率梯度呈线性关系。地基稳定冻结深度达到1.12 m。结合实测数据建立季节性冻土区堤防基础的水、热、力三场耦合模型,最后利用ANSYS有限元分析软件进行模拟分析,证明该模型在堤防工程上的实用性。     

analysis on modis satellite thermal infrared information before and after the jinggu ms6.6 earthquake

Continuous MODIS/Terra satellite thermal infrared remote sensing data of the Jinggu M_S6.6 earthquake area from July 2014 to January 2015 is collected, and after cloud-removing, the thermal infrared data between 5:00a.m.-7:00a.m. Beijing Time, which is the best period for observation, is selected to perform land surface temperature data retrieval and analyze the temporal evolution of land surface temperature anomalies before and after the earthquake, as well as the relationship between abnormal spatial distribution and active fault. The impacts of non-structural factors such as topography, landform and seasonal weather of the earthquake zone on land surface temperature anomalies are discussed. The result shows that: a)there was thermal infrared anomalous temperature increase appearing near the epicenter two months before the M_S6.6 Jinggu earthquake and there was a certain correspondence between the anomalous temperature increase and earthquake occurrence time. The significant temperature increase happened in the first half of the month, reached its peak 7 days before the earthquake, and dropped rapidly after the earthquake. At the same time, there was also anomalous temperature increase to a certain extent appearing about half month before the strong aftershocks of magnitude 5.8 and 5.9; b)Through the correlation analysis of non-structural factors such as topography, landform and seasonal weather of the earthquake zone, it is found that the structural "temperature increase" before the Jinggu M_S6.6 earthquake was the information indicating the anti-season change of temperature increase in the earthquake zone; c)The anomalous temperature increase was cross-developed from the epicenter along the NS-NE trending conjugate faults, which is consistent roughly with the NNE-SSW predominant direction of the maximum principal stress of the regional tectonic stress field. After full consideration of the influence of non-structural factors such as topography, landform and seasonal weather on the abnormal temperature increase, it is inferred that this thermal infrared temperature increase is possibly a short-imminent anomaly before the earthquake.