{"id":840,"date":"2016-07-21T10:52:24","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T00:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.heuch.com.au\/staging\/?p=840"},"modified":"2024-04-15T23:48:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T09:48:58","slug":"frost-heave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.heuch.com.au\/staging\/frost-heave\/","title":{"rendered":"Frost heave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Frost heave can be found in walls, floors and any other areas associated with freezer rooms and colder environments, both constructed and natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Frost heave?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Frost heave (sometimes referred to as ice heave, slab heave and concrete heaving) occurs when sub-zero ambient temperatures penetrate the earth or a structure and freeze pockets of moisture. As these pockets freeze, they expand. This potentially enormous pressure has to go somewhere, so it pushes the earth or structure outwards toward the point of least resistance. When considering ground based frost heave, this is usually up to the surface, and creates little mounds. Areas that exhibit Freeze-Thaw-Refeeze cycles can be particularly persuasive and cause slab heave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is frost heave important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A bit of frozen moisture doesn\u2019t sound like much, but it has the ability to seriously damage floors, building foundations, roads and driveways. Much in the same way that a little steam doesn\u2019t sound like anything to worry about, until you contain it, then it can drive a train, or electricity producing turbines!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moisture is always drawn to the cold. So when a pocket of ice forms under the soil, underground moisture is drawn to it, freezes and adds to the pocket. This is a problem that the people of Canada (for example) have to deal with on a seasonal basis. The frost heave often pushes sideways and damages the foundations of their houses and basements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the commercial sector, if the floor of a freezer isn\u2019t heated, the frost heave will lift and crack floors, create a very uneven surface, prejudice walls and structures and make for a very unsafe work environment. It can penetrate poorly sealed walls, freezing and bulging, damaging the structural integrity of the very walls themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out our featured project:<\/strong> Sea World Australia \u2013 Blast Freezer for Animal Food<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to spot frost heaves.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It starts with a bit of a sinking feeling. Often, businesses we visit will comment that the foundations of their building are sinking, but a quick inspection points out that actually, the floor is lifting! Sometimes the floor heating has failed, and other times it hasn\u2019t been installed at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early signs to look out for include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n