Abstract: In frozen earth areas of North China, lining and insulation measures are usually adopted to prevent seepage and frost heave in many irrigation channels, thereby reducing water loss. In this research, the effects of three different anti-freezing measures of channel lining for the irrigation channels in Nongshi Division of Altay, Xinjiang, were comparatively studied in terms of material acquisition and construction. The constitutive models of three lining materials, namely, concrete, fly ash solidified by HAS curing agent, and polystyrene foam board (EPS board), were established. The anti-frost-heaving effects of the three lining materials were analyzed via temperature-stress coupled simulation in ABAQUS. Results reveal that the three measures are capable of reducing the frost heave deformation of channels. Compared with concrete lining, fly ash solidified by HAS and EPS foam board linings provide with better effects, of which the EPS foam board performs the best by cutting the maximum normal frost heave displacement by 54%, normal frost heave force by 74%, and tangential frost force by 83%. EPS foam board also facilitates the uniform distribution of stress and displacement, and consequently, refrains from stress concentration. The anti-frost-heaving effect of polystyrene board is the most superior, followed by that of fly ash solidified by HAS, and concrete lining in sequence. Nevertheless, fly ash solidified by HAS could be a potential material of channel lining in highly cold areas like Xinjiang as fly ash can be acquired locally.

Key words: channel lining, anti-frost-heaving, constitutive model, HAS curing agent, fly ash, EPS board, concrete lining