Optimization of hydraulic section of irrigation canals in cold regions based on a practical model for frost heave

An optimal hydraulic section is critical for irrigated water conservancy in seasonal frozen ground due to a large proportion of water leakage, as investigated by in-situ surveys. This is highly correlated with the frost heave of underlain soils in cold season. This paper firstly derived a practical model for frost heave of clayey soils, with temperature dependent thermal indexes incorporating phase change effect. A model test carried out on clay was used to verify the rationality of the model. A novel approach for optimizing the cross-section of irrigation canals in cold regions was suggested with live updated geometry characterized by three unique geometric constraints including slope of canal, ratio of practical flow section to the optimal and lining thickness. Allowable frost heave deformation and tensile stress in canal lining are utilized as standard in computation iterating with geometry updating while the construction cost per unit length is regarded as the eventual target in optimization. A typical section along the Jinghui irrigation canal was selected to be optimized with the above requirements satisfied. Results prove that the optimized hydraulic section exhibits smaller frost heave deformation, lower tensile stress and lower construction cost.