Production work in winter conditions. 1. Production of earthworks in winter conditions

A significant part of the territory of Russia is located in areas with a long and harsh winter. However, the construction is carried out year-round, in this regard, about 15% of the total volume of earthworks has to be performed in winter conditions and in the frozen state of the soil. The peculiarity of the development of the soil in the "frozen state" is that when the soil freezes, its mechanical strength increases, and the development becomes more difficult. In winter, the labor intensity of excavation increases significantly (manual work 4 ... 7 times, mechanized 3 ... 5 times) , limited to the use of certain mechanisms - excavators, bulldozers, scrapers, graders, while at the same time, excavations in the winter can be performed without slopes.Water with which a lot of trouble in the warm season, in the frozen state becomes an ally of builders. Sometimes there is no need for sheet piling, almost always in drainage.The following methods of excavation are used depending on the specific local conditions:

■ protection of soil from freezing, followed by the development of conventional methods;

■ thawing of the soil with its development in the thawed state;

■ development of soil in frozen state with preliminary loosening;

■ direct development of frozen ground.