Accurate Computation of Freezing Index

by Kathleen T. Hall, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Serviceability and Durability of Construction Materials

Abstract:

'Freezing index' (cumulative degree-days below freezing) is used for predicting frost penetration depths and modelling pavement performance. Contour maps which illustrate geographic trends are inadequate for accurate determination of freezing index at specific locations. It is desirable, particularly for computerized pavement modelling, to identify an accurate method for computing freezing index from tabulated data. Freezing index values computed using monthly average temperatures consistently and in some cases significantly underestimate true values computed from actual daily temperatures. Two other methods, one used by the National Weather Service and one developed at the Illinois State Water Survey, may be applied to freezing index computations to produce more accurate values for use in predicting frost penetration depth and modeling pavement performance.

Subject Headings: Freezing | Computer models | Model accuracy | Pavements | Frost | Computing in civil engineering | Temperature effects | Illinois | United States

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