Rapid stabilization of thawing soils: A demonstration project

The US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) conducted a field demonstration project in which a variety of expedient surfaces were constructed and trafficked to test stabilization techniques for thawing soils. The project was conducted at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, during the 1995 spring thaw. Cooperating partners included the Wisconsin National Guard, the US Army Engineer School, the USDA Forest Service (USFS), Terramat, and Uni-Mat International, Inc. As part of the overall project, the stabilizing techniques were evaluated for expediency, ease of construction, performance during trafficking, and vehicle mobility enhancement. The test and evaluation program generated recommendations for construction of expedient roads under thawing conditions to be incorporated into military engineering decision aids and simulations. The information is also applicable for non-military purposes such as timber- and pipeline-access in the logging, oil and gas industries. This paper provides a general description of the techniques tested and installation methods used as well as some difficulties associated with each. It also briefly describes the tests performed and types of data gathered. Greater detail and results are provided in Kestler et al. (in prep).