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paysagement

freeze-thaw cycles

In French: gel et dégel

Definition

The alternation of periods when water in the ground freezes, expands, then thaws. Wet fine soil (silt, clay) heaves when it freezes and loses bearing strength when it thaws. Pavers, block walls and lawns hold up when water is drained away: slopes outward, a thick enough free-draining base and no work on frozen ground.

Also called

  • freeze and thaw
  • frost action

Other names in French

  • cycles de gel et dégel
  • cycles gel-dégel

Sources

  1. The MTQ study measures frost penetration under Quebec roads, from 1.4 m in Montreal to over 2 m in the north.

    Étude de l'action du gel sur les routes · Ministère des Transports du Québec, Service des sols et chaussées

  2. Techo-Bloc calls for a thicker base on clay and silt and on soils strongly affected by freeze and thaw. (p. 64)

    Guide d'installation, Pavés · Techo-Bloc