ABSTRACT
Worldwide, the area of seasonally frozen soil is extensive. Subgrade frost heave remains a substantial hurdle for infrastructure construction in frozen soil regions. Subgrade fillers are typically unsaturated. While this configuration creates favorable conditions for the migration of vapor water. Based on the concept of On-Site Visualization and the law of light, Polymer optical fiber (POF) sensors are proposed to monitor the light intensity during the freezing process. The results show that POF sensors effectively monitored distinct stages of light intensity changes. This enables facilitates understanding of the water migration and phase transition progress. POF sensors can capture the formation of freezing front and the distribution of ice. Through analysis of the relationship between changes in light intensity and water inflow, a significant correlation between the two is apparent. POF sensor can be used to monitor the total amount of vapor water migration in frozen soil in real-time.
