The general strategy is to increase thermal contact in the winter, and to retard thermal contact in the summer, and do both in an economical and efficient way.
The above diagram shows the mechanics of a road embankment failure due to thaw consolidation. The ground directly beneath the embankment is insulated by the road fill, and remains frozen. The ground beneath the embankment "toes" (the edge of road embankment, where it meets the ground ) thaws. As a result, slabs of the embankment shear off, creating longitudinal cracks on the pavement surface. This is sometimes called a "rotational failure" because of the tendency of the fill to revolve or rotate into the thawed depressions beneath the toes.
Below you will find three links.
The first link will bring you to the "pioneering techniques" page. I have outlined some techniques for road stabilization that are (to the best of my knowledge) not being used currently. They have been experimented with, and were not found to solve the problem of thaw settlement on their own. Nevertheless, these techniques represent important steps in the evolution to the current state of knowledge. Also, the phisical concepts behind these techniques are universal and elements of these techniques are practiced still today, incorporated into other engineering practices.
The next page is on the air duct cooling system. Once again, I don't think this system is currently being used. It seems like it has evolved into the ACE embankment system. Nevertheless, the air duct cooling system is way cool (<-mandatory pun), and quite pertinent.
Check out the air duct system of permafrost-proof roads
Last, but not least, we will examine the two methods that are currently being persued by the Alaskan roadbuilding community-thermosyphons, and the ACE embankment. To the best of my knowledge and according to my research, these two techniques are the culmination of all the previous techniques I have outlined.Check'm out
