Thermal-physical calculations as a basis of design solutions of buildings and structures in the permafrost zone

Abstract

The goal of calculations in foundation engineering is to define strain-stress behavior of a soil bulk due to loads transferred from a structure to a subsoil. While calculating subsoils of foundations, which consist of frozen and permafrost soils occupying about two thirds of the territory of Russia, an engineer should firstly predict changes of temperature fields in the subsoils. These calculations imply that a future expert is aware of equations of mathematical physics, boundary conditions of temperature problems etc. However, thermal physics is not included in the curriculum of university departments, which train specialists making calculations or design of foundations. Due to this fact, as a rule, a university graduate lacks knowledge on the laws of thermal distribution in milieus and on the methods of solving the corresponding problems. The paper gives a number of examples of thermal-technical calculations of foundations subgrades, which show the necessity of knowledge in the field of thermal physics during design of structures in the permafrost zone.