Frost Push and its Effects on Stone Foundations

Frost Push & Heat Flow at Stone Foundation Walls

Here we explain the causes of frost push or frost damage to foundation walls.

Above in an illustration by Friedman we show how a combination of wet soil and freezing conditions conspire to create frost push against a foundation wall. The maximum point of inwards wall bulge occcurs where the frost pressure is greatest.

That's going to be above the frost line and at a depth that depends on the extent to which water, usually from roof spillage or from in-slope grade cause water to collect outside the foundation wall.

Our illustration below, adapted by Friedman from an original by Farouki (1992) illustrates the heat flow down into the surrounding soil from an insulated building in a freezing climate. This illustration explains how to AVOID frost damage to foundations.

Farouki notes

... insulation is used in association with foundations of structures as part of a process of thermal engineering to produce safe and economic designs for various structures.

The use of insulation enables heat management that allows shallower foundation depths and prevents damage from frost action.

Results are given from the Norwegian Frost I Jord research project and the work at Lund University, Sweden, both of which provided the basis for the design guidelines of Norway, Sweden and Finland. -References or Citations

If we reverse the size and direction of that big orange arrow we might portray frost push effects on the foundation wall - look again at our first drawing.

Frost Push Damaged Foundation Field Report

Below: as an example of foundation frost push damage, these foundation damage photos, contributed by ASHI home inspector David Grudzinski illustrate the importance of looking carefully at the building exterior for early clues that you may track down to more-significant damage.

This masonry block (above-grade) foundation was not straight-vertical but instead was out of plumb, as Grudzinski noted.

A very rough measurement showed that the block surface was six degrees out of plumb.

Even a casual and thus incomplete examination of David's photos provides an experienced inspector with more foundation damage and damage history clues.

Above in our first photo notice that sloppy spilled concrete at the juncture of concrete sidewalk and foundation wall? That may be an attempt to seal water leaking between the sidewalk and foundation, but

notice too that the sidewalk, though it slopes nicely away from the home, dumps water into a water trap (as from there soil slopes uphill) that will pretty much trap water along the building, inviting water seepage down into soils close to the foundation - adding to the risk of frost damage.

Notice below that rather new asphalt paving has been put around these foundation areas,sloped away from the home. Someone may have been attempting to stabilize the foundation and stop water and frost damage by adding this paving and drainage.

But notice too the frost damaged concrete blocks at the corner: probably frost heave.

And notice as well the crushed downspout end still spilling (if it could spill) close to the foundation? So we have a clue that the building owners/occupants are not aware of or don't notice critical roof drainage system maintenance tasks.

For the scientists among us,

see ROOF SLOPE CALCULATIONS

for formulas to convert angle or slope over a distance to inches out of plumb over a height. A foundation wall that is bulged an inch or more out of plumb at its most bulged point over its height is considered significantly damaged and needing further evaluation and possible repair. (Friedman & Seaquist).

Details are at FOUNDATION DAMAGE SEVERITY

and at FOUNDATION or WALL BULGE or LEAN MEASUREMENTS

Inspecting the building interior Grudzinski found still more-significant damage to the stone foundation laid below-grade.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Here are Mr. Grudzinski's notes to us:

Attached in several emails will be photos of a stone foundation severely buckled in from expansion in soil caused by frost heaves. The home is an 1980 Colonial 2-family home in Pawtucket RI. The prospective buyer is a past client, and saw the home under limited lighting in the early evening hours.

The home was being "flipped" by a contractor. The first signs of concern were walking around the exterior.

The foundation is stacked Rubble stone to grade, with cement block above grade. There was an obvious deformity in the Block foundation condition. It was not plumb, and when sighting the foundation on the longer planes, the center was buckled in at least 6 inches when compared to the corners.

The gutter downspouts deposited the water right at the base of the home, rather than away from the home.

The rear wall was notably more deformed than the side walls. I used an angle gauge with a level to come up with a rough idea of the angle of the foundation from grade level to the Mud Sill. The block portion of the foundation was 8 Degrees out of plumb. This translated to 3 inches over 2 ft.

Upon entering the basement, the stacked stone showed an inward displacement of around 12 inches at the farthest point. The stone wall had large openings where smaller stones were missing and the mating surfaces of the stones had separated. The line where the Blocks were stacked on the stone showed openings.

Because of the movement, the rear wall of the 1st floor was angled outwards about 6 inches, and the siding was separated from its original location.
This foundation will need significant structural repairs to the foundation.

• David Grudzinski, Advantage Home Inspections, ASHI cert # 249089, HUD cert# H-145, is a professional home inspector who contributes on various topics including structural matters.
  David Grudzinski, Cranston RI serving both Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut can be reached at 401-935-6547 fax- 401-490-0607 or by email to Davidgrudzinski@aol.com
  
  Mr. Grudzinski is a regular contributor to InspectAPedia.com

Related topics

• FOUNDATION DAMAGE by ICE LENSING 
• FOUNDATION FAILURE by INSULATION 
• FROST HEAVE / EXPANSIVE SOIL CRACKS in SLABS
• FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB
• HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT IN FOUNDATIONS

Research on Frost Heave & Frost Push Damage to Building Foundations

• Bonshor, Ronald B., Lesley L. Bonshor, and Roger Sadgrove. Cracking in buildings. Construction Research Communications Limited, 1996.
• Crory, Frederick E., and R. E. Reed. Measurement of frost heaving forces on piles. No. CRREL-TR-145. COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH, 1965.
• Everett, D. H. "The thermodynamics of frost damage to porous solids." Transactions of the Faraday society 57 (1961): 1541-1551.
• Farouki, Omar. EUROPEAN FOUNDATION DESIGNS FOR SEASONALLY FROZEN GROUND [PDF] No. CRREL-Mono-92-1. Cold Regions Research And Engineering Lab Hanover NH, 1992. Retrieved 2019/11/11 original source https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a250833.pdf
  Abstract:
  
  The report deals with the design of foundations against frost action in Europe, particularly as practiced in the Nordic countries. It describes how insulation is used in association with foundations of structures as part of a process of thermal engineering to produce safe and economic designs for various structures.
  
  The use of insulation enables heat management that allows shallower foundation depths and prevents damage from frost action. Results are given from the Norwegian Frost I Jord research project and the work at Lund University, Sweden, both of which provided the basis for the design guidelines of Norway, Sweden and Finland.
  
  Detailed slab-on-grade designs ensure that frost heave does not occur.
  
  Consideration is given to the design of foundations with a crawl space or basement, with their problems of sidegrip and horizontal frost pressure. Frost protection for unheated buildings is described, usually involving the use of insulation and drainage layers below the foundation with ground insulation nearby to retain soil heat.
  
  Designs with open foundations are described as well as foundations for retaining walls and bridges. Frost protection required during winter construction is detailed. Building foundations, Foundation design, Frost heave, Europe, Frost action.
• Gullfiber (1986) Gullfiber insulation system. Gullfiber AB, Billerholm, Sweden (in Swedish)
• Haley, James F., Kenneth A. Linell, George A. Crabb Jr, Harry Carlson, and A. W. Johnson. "Soil temperature and ground freezing." HIGHWAY RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON DC, 1953.
• Hansen, N-E. Ottesen, and Helge Gravesen. "ENGINEERING PRACTICE FOR ICE FORCE DESIGN IN DENMARK." [PDF]
• Lin, Jun, and D. Scott. "Assessment of significances of building failure induced by foundation failure: facade failure, and moisture problem." In Building Integration Solutions, pp. 1-13. 2006.
• Lisø, Kim Robert, Tore Kvande, Hans Olav Hygen, Jan Vincent Thue, and Knut Harstveit. "A frost decay exposure index for porous, mineral building materials." Building and Environment 42, no. 10 (2007): 3547-3555.
• Penner, Edward, and Lorne W. Gold. "Transfer of heaving forces by adfreezing to columns and foundation walls in frost-susceptible soils." Canadian Geotechnical Journal 8, no. 4 (1971): 514-526.
  Abstract:
  
  The paper gives results of field studies on uplift forces on small-diameter columns of steel, concrete, and wood caused by adfreezing in frost-susceptible Leda clay. Adfreeze strength values would appear to be highest for steel and concrete, followed closely by wood. The heaving pattern and the heaving force transmitted are shown to be different for long foundation walls than for isolated columns. This compares favorably with the deformation pattern induced in an ice cover around offshore structures, during a change in water level.
  
  Attention is also given to the relative movement of the heaving soil with respect to the structure and the influence of the heave pattern on the transmission of forces.
• Penner, Edward. "Uplift forces on foundations in frost heaving soils." Canadian Geotechnical Journal 11, no. 3 (1974): 323-338.
  Abstract:
  
  Field studies of uplift forces by frost heaving are described for columns of various types and sizes and for a block concrete wall. The changing ground surface heave pattern around the block wall was used to predict the maximum heaving force which compared favorably with the measured value.
  
  Unit adfreeze strengths and maximum uplift forces were highest for steel columns, followed by concrete and wood; the lowest values were for the block concrete wall.
  
  In general, unit adfreeze strengths were highest for the small diameter columns and lowest on the largest columns. Differences are ascribed to the response of the various materials to air temperatures and to the shape and size of the structure.
• Penner, Edward. "Particle size as a basis for predicting frost action in soils." Soils and Foundations 8, no. 4 (1968): 21-29.
• Rockwool (1984) BYGG - A Book on Building Insulation. Rockwool AB, Skovde, Sweden (in Swedish)
• Saetersdal, Reidar. "Heaving conditions by freezing of soils." Engineering Geology 18, no. 1-4 (1981): 291-305.
• Stuart, Matthew, "Concrete Slab Finishes and the Use of the F-number System", Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, online course at www.pdhonline.org/courses/s130/s130.htm
• Vialov, S. S., V. G. Gmoshinskii, S. E. Gorodetskii, V. G. Grigorieva, and Iu K. Zaretskii. The Strength and Creep of Frozen Soils and Calculations for Ice-Soil Retaining Structures (Prochnost'i Polzuchest'merzlykh Gruntov I Raschety Ledogruntovykh Ograzhdenii). No. SIPRE-TRANS-76. COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH, 1965.
  
  Abstract : Mechanism of Rheological Processes; Principles of Calculation for the Creep and Long-Term Strength of Frozen Soils; Cryogenous Texture and Strength of Frozen Soils;
  
  Methods for Testing Frozen Soils in Creep and for Long-Term Strength; Experimental Study of the Creep of Frozen Soils; Experimental Study of the Long-Term Strength of Frozen Soils; Calculations for Strength and Creep of Mine Shaft Retaining Structures Sunk by Means of the Freezing Process; Models of Ice-Soil Cylinders; and Comparison of the Analytical Solutions with Model Results, and Recommend Formulae for Calculations.
• VTT (1987) Frost protetion guidelines for house structures, Technical Research Center of Finland Geotechnical Laboratory, Helsinki, Finland (in Finnish)
• Also seeReferences or Citations at the end of this article