Study Of The Design Concepts And Methods In High-altitude And Cold Regions And Their Applications

In China, there is a large area of high-altitude and cold regions. In these regions,the climate is bad, the topographic and geological conditions are unique, theeco-system is fragile and instable and the social and political environments arecomplex. All these conditions have put forward strict requirements for highwayconstruction. So far, most of the studies on highways in such regions are concentratedat the technical level. Little study has been done from the macroscopic level on thedesign concept and general ideas of highway projects. Besides, the traditionalconcepts and technical system, however, fail to take into account the features ofhighways in high-altitude and cold regions and cannot help to solve the contradictionamong resources, environment and highway construction. In order to realizesustainable development of highways in these regions, it is necessary and urgent tocreate new design concepts based on the special climate, geological andgeomorphological features.This dissertation summarizes the natural, social and economic environmentcharacteristics of high-altitude and cold regions according to the existing researchfindings, documents, data and field investigation. Considering the specialrequirements of highway construction in these regions, this dissertation analyzes themajor difficulties which are faced with highway constructions, including: snow andice lead to a high accident rate, seasonal blending imposes great threat to theconstruction quality, low temperature and oxygen deficit have a bad influence on thehuman health and work efficiency, the fragile eco-system makes the environmentprotection and ecological restoration very hard, the complex soil conditions make theconstruction difficult and high-risk, and the tunnels may result in a large consumptionof energy and resources. On this basis, it studies the applicability of traditional designconcepts. Directed against the special requirements and difficulties of highwayconstruction in high-altitude and cold regions and based on the basic connotation of “six points to stick to and six points to establish”, this dissertation uses the method ofsystem engineering to propose new design concepts. Finally, the new concepts areapplied to Xiguojing Expressway to testify its feasibility and practicability in theaspects of corridor selection, scheme comparison, bridges and tunnels design andslope protection.In combination of data collection, theoretical analysis and engineeringverification, this study will help to remedy the limitation of current design concepts,complete and perfect the theoretical system of highway design and construction inhigh-altitude and cold regions. It not only has a practical significance on the highwayconstruction in high-altitude and cold regions, but also has a theoretical significancein pushing forward the scientific development of China’s transportation industry.