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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Enhancing Transportation Safety through Moisture Control Using Wicking Geotextiles in Pavement Systems</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703923</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Excess subsurface moisture is a primary cause of pavement deterioration, contributing to frost heave, thaw weakening, pumping, stiffness loss, and surface roughness. These moisture-driven mechanisms compromise roadway safety by reducing vehicle stability, braking performance, and ride quality, while increasing maintenance frequency and costs. Wicking geotextiles are an emerging geosynthetic technology designed to actively remove both gravity and capillary water from pavement systems without external energy input. By transporting moisture laterally toward pavement shoulders and releasing it through evaporation, these materials help maintain drier and more stable subgrade conditions. Previous laboratory studies and field applications have demonstrated their technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness; however, current implementation remains largely empirical due to the lack of a mechanistic design framework.
This project aims to develop a fully coupled thermo–hydro–mechanical (THM) modeling framework to quantify the moisture-removal capacity of wicking geotextiles and evaluate their impact on pavement performance under unsaturated and freezing conditions. The research integrates laboratory characterization of soil–geotextile systems, controlled freezing tests to assess frost-heave mitigation, and advanced numerical modeling grounded in modern unsaturated soil mechanics. The validated model will be used to conduct parametric studies examining soil type, groundwater level, environmental loading, and installation configuration.
The expected outcomes include a validated THM model, quantitative evaluation tools for moisture control effectiveness, and practical, safety-oriented design guidance for transportation agencies. By transforming wicking geotextiles into a design-ready technology, this project will support safer, more resilient, and cost-effective pavement infrastructure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 09:19:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703923</guid>
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      <title>Cryosuction and Its Role in Infrastructure Distress from Freeze-Thaw Cycles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2534019</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Pavement infrastructure in cold regions experiences significant distress due to freeze-thaw cycles, which govern moisture migration, frost heave, and post-thaw weakening. Cryosuction, the process by which water is drawn toward freezing fronts due to soil suction, plays a critical role in this phenomenon by intensifying frost heave and accelerating pavement deterioration. However, the influence of cryosuction on moisture migration and subsequent pavement damage remains insufficiently understood, particularly concerning varying soil properties, salinity levels, and environmental conditions. The proposed study aims to quantify the role of cryosuction in moisture distribution during freeze-thaw cycles and examine its effects on soil freezing characteristic curves (SFCC) and soil water characteristic curves (SWCC) across different salinity levels. An experimental approach will be employed, involving soil suction measurements, moisture content analysis, and frost heave observations using advanced geotechnical instrumentation in a setup that will be fabricated as a part of this study. The results will provide clarification regarding the relationship between cryosuction, soil properties, and pavement distress, enabling the development of advanced models and potential mitigation strategies. This study through its findings will contribute to the design of more resilient pavement systems, reducing maintenance costs and extending infrastructure lifespan in cold climates.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:34:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2534019</guid>
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      <title>The Influence of Subgrade Soils Susceptible to Shrink/Swell and/or Frost Heave on Pavement Performance</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1466752</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Expansive clay soils that are susceptible to shrink and swell, and silty soils that are susceptible to frost heave are found in many parts of the United States. At these locations, these soils serve as the subgrade of the pavement structure. The AASHTOWare Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical (ME) Design (formerly DARWin-ME) and the AASHTO Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide Manual of Practice (MEPDG) provide a methodology for the analysis and performance prediction of new and rehabilitated pavements. Although the performance of these pavements is known to be closely related to properties of the subgrade, the performance predicted by this methodology does not adequately consider the influence of subgrade soils susceptible to shrink/swell and/or frost heave on pavement performance. There is a need to evaluate the procedures contained in the Pavement ME Design and identify or develop enhancements (in the form of modified or new models) to ensure that the procedures appropriately account for the influence of these types of subgrade soils on the performance of new and rehabilitated pavements. Incorporating these enhancements into the Pavement ME Design procedures will allow an improved analysis and design of pavement structures.
Under NCHRP Project 01-59, &ldquo;Proposed Enhancements to Pavement ME Design: Improved Consideration of the Influence of Subgrade Soils Susceptible to Shrink/Swell and/or Frost Heave on Pavement Performance,&rdquo; Arizona State University was asked to propose enhancements, as needed, to the Pavement ME Design procedures to better reflect the influence of subgrade soils susceptible to shrink/swell and/or frost heave on pavement performance. The research team (1) evaluated the adequacy of Pavement ME Design models to predict the influence of subgrade soils susceptible to shrink/swell and/or frost heave on the in-service pavement performance for a range of relevant factors (e.g., material, environment, and traffic conditions), (2) proposed a plan to improve the predictive ability of Pavement ME Design by modifying the models contained in the Pavement ME Design and/or developing new models, (3) proposed enhancements (in the form of modified or new models) to Pavement ME Design to better reflect the influence of subgrade soils susceptible to shrink/swell and/or frost heave on pavement performance, (4) identified issues affecting implementation of the proposed enhancements, and (5) prepared draft language for consideration by AASHTO to incorporate the research results in the next update of the AASHTO MEPDG.
In addition to the conduct of research that documents the entire research effort published as NCHRP Research Report 1096: Subgrade Soil Susceptibility to Shrink/Swell and Frost Heave, supplemental information for each corresponding chapter (Appendices 1-13) are available here and on the TRB website at www.trb.org.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 May 2017 09:46:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1466752</guid>
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      <title>Rapid Determination of Unsaturated Moisture Diffusivity for Soils During the Frost Heave</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1256241</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Frost heave and thaw weakening are typical problems in northern regions. It is well known that frost heave is caused by water flow through capillary zone to a freezing front where it forms ice lenses. Investigation of soil behavior in the capillary zone is in the range of unsaturated soil mechanics and the unsaturated transmission of water is the key to understand the frost heave problem. The magnitude and rate of transient moisture flow in an unsaturated soil in response to suction changes is controlled by the unsaturated moisture diffusion coefficient. It is well-known that unsaturated soil properties such as moisture diffusivity are significantly different from those when the soil is fully saturated with positive pore water pressure. Although significant progress has been made in unsaturated soil mechanics in the past two decades, not enough advancements have been made to apply this new field to practical, yet very important, problems such as the frost heave and thaw weakening problems. As part of an Oklahoma Transportation Center (OkTC, one of the ten National University Transportation Centers) sponsored research project, Mabirizi and Bulut (2010) developed a unified, simple, and practical testing equipment and method to measure both the drying and wetting unsaturated soil moisture diffusivity coefficients in laboratory. Compared with the existing methods, the method significantly reduces the time and efforts for measuring the drying and wetting unsaturated soil moisture parameters by exposing the cylindrical soil specimens to drying and wetting cycles, respectively. The same concept can be applied to measuring the unsaturated diffusivity of soils during one dimensional frost heave in Alaska. The objective of this research is to implement the most recent advances made in unsaturated soil mechanics to investigate the frost heave problem. The objective will be achieved through equipment development, laboratory testing, model development, and numerical simulation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2013 01:00:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1256241</guid>
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