FORECASTING TRAFFICABILITY OF SOILS; A PILOT STUDY OF SOILS SUBJECTED TO FREEZING AND THAWING,

Abstract

Moisture content, density, and soil strength data were obtained from two test areas in Michigan which are subject to periods of freezing. Each area contained three plots with different vegetation cover: bare, herbaceous, or hardwood. Meteorological data from neighboring weather stations were recorded. Analysis of data showed that (1) the greater the vegetation density, the later the date of the first frost's appearance; (2) the greater the vegetation density and snow cover depth, the less the mean frost depth; (3) soil moisture content increased significantly as frost depth increased, and decreased when frost depth decreased; (4) soil density followed a trend opposite to that of moisture content; (5) soil strength increased radically when soil was frozen; and (6) soil strength was lowest during and immediately after the final thawing period of the season. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1964
Accession Number
AD0450626

Entities

People

  • N. H. Smith
  • S. J. Knight

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Data Analysis
  • Freezing
  • Meteorological Data
  • Moisture
  • Moisture Content
  • Pilot Studies
  • Snow Cover
  • Trafficability
  • Vegetation
  • Weather Stations

Fields of Study

  • Agricultural and Food sciences

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Pavement Materials Engineering.
  • Polar and Arctic Studies