Associate Professor
UNB Department of Civil Engineering

I am pleased to submit herewith our report titled “Examining Footing Tubes in Soils Prone to Frost”. It describes a study carried out to determine the susceptibility of the “Footing Tube” to movement caused by adfreezing.

As detailed in the report, three prototype footings were installed in the field under conditions most likely to lead to adfreeze movement. The site was kept clear of snow in order to allow penetration of frost. Despite these conditions, none of the footings underwent any movement which could be attributable to adfreeze effects.

In addition to the field tests, a laboratory model was constructed and subjected to nine freeze-thaw cycles. This model also did not show any adbreeze-related movement.

The lack of susceptibility to adfreeze effects is due mainly to the tapered shape of the footing and the smooth polyethylene surface.

The main conclusion drawn from this experimental program is that footings, constructed using the “Footing Tube” are unlikely to suffer from adfreeze-related movement, even under the most unfavourable soil and weather conditions.