Research on EPS application to very wide highwayembankments in permafrost regions

In order to maintain the thermal stability of very wide highway embankments in permafrost regions, the thermal isolationmaterial EPS is often utilized. To examine the effects of this insulation on the China National Highway (G214),two-dimensional finite element analysis of temperature fields was conducted for varying widths of highway embankmentswith and without EPS insulation. The numerical results show that in permafrost regions the effect of thermal aggregation onasphalt pavement is more obvious when highway embankments are wider, and, specifically for the G214 highway, the insulationshould be more than 25 cm thick for 24-m-wide embankments. However, considering other factors such as the structuralrationality of the embankments and high engineering costs, it might not be feasible to install EPS insulation in24-m-wide embankments of the G214 highway when the height of the embankments is less than 3.65 m.