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Technical Note (National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research), 1961-01-01
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Report of Northern Studies Completed and Proposed Hutcheon, N. B.
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DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA
TEClHIN ][CAL
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
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FOR INTERNAL USE
PREPARED BY
N. B. Hutcheon CHECKED BY APPROVED BY
..!2AI!. January 1961
PREPARED FOR Research Sub-Committee ACND ,
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SUBJECT
Report of Northern Studies Completed and Proposed
It is the task of the Division of Building Research to provide a research service for building in Canada. A basic policy has been established of giving attention particularly to problems that are peculiar to Canada. The Division is in the first instance a purveyor of information acting as a channel for
information from all available sources including contacts with agencies in many other countries.
When there is no informatlon immediately available regardi:qg any Canadian building problem it is the job of the Division to do what it can to find what is already known. Finally, when the need is clear, and the available information inadequate, actual research work in the field and in the laboratory may be undertaken.
It is a corresponding task to make the assembled information available for immediate and effective use by others. This is
carried out mainly by publications of various kinds.
The special character of northern activities has been recognized in the establishment of a Northern Building Section within the Division which has provided special channels for the collection and dissemination of information and for the conduct of Northern Building Studies. Some idea of the nature of the
Studies which have been carried out may be obtained from the report of the Northern Building Section in the last published report of the Division's work entitled Building Research 1958-59. Northern Activities in 1960.
The activities on behalf of Northern BUilding during 1960 were.large1ya continuation of those reported for 1958-590
Observations on the performance of buildings and other structures at Inuvik were continued. The Northern Building Station
2
-at Norman Wells was oper-ated during the summer, with
continuation of studies of the basic climatic and terrain
factors which affect the occurrence of permafrost. The collection of information on permafrost occurrences was continued.
Considerable staff time was devoted to the preparation of publications on various aspects of northern work. Some of these are planned as part of a series which when combined will form a Manual on Northern Building and Construction.
Assistance was given during the year to the National Film Board in the planning and shooting of a 20-minute color film. This will be available early in 1961. In it an attempt has been made to emphasize those features of northern terrain which necessitate changed construction techniques. The need for careful site investigation, advance planning, and special treatment of permafrost in design are emphasized. Finally some of the ways in which northern construction can be carried out successfully are illustrated, using examples from Inuvik where much of the film footage was taken.
The work begun at the Kelsey Power Project in Manitoba was continued. Further instrumentation was added and measure-ments of ground temperatures and settlemeasure-ments were continued as the water level was raised behing the dykes and dam.
A preliminary survey was made of foundation problems resulting from permafrost at Thompson, Manitoba, the site of a new mining and smelter development by Inco. A reconnaissance was also made in the intere$s of possible future terrain
studies in this area.
The study of prefabricated building techniques and their. applicability in northern construction was continued. Visits were made during the winter to several settlements in the Arctic for an examination of building performance.
Activities Planned for 1961.
Observations which are being taken at Inuvik and
Kelsey will be continued since they are part of a study which has necessarily to be continued over many years. The
studies at Norman Wells of the influence of terrain and climate features on permafrost will be continued. The major new
project will be a program of drilling at Inuvik in the
early spring to determine the permafrost occurrences beneath lakes and rivers. This is described more fully in the folloWing section.
Drilling Project at Inuvik.
The thawing effect of water in contact with perma-frost is a consideration in many construction projects in permafrost regions. Both the rate and depth of thaw under varying conditions are questions of some importance to the engineer as was recognized in the design of the Kelsey project and yet these are not readily answered with the information at present available. One method of improving knowledge of this effect and of providing some guidance for future engineering design is by a study of the present level of permafrost
under natural bodies of water in the north, such as lakes and rivers. Such a study will be pertinent also to the prediction of the probable existance of zones of unfrozen soil within permafrost under old lakes and river channels. Such zones,
often called taliks, can be of considerable interest in connection with possible water sources within permafrost.
In making such a study, it is considered important to choose those lakes and rivers that have been in existence for a sufficient period of time to have approached a condition of thermal eqUilibrium with the frozen ground beneath. It is recognized that the amount of heat transferred by flowing water, as in a stream or river, is likely to differ considerably
from the thermal effect of a relatively stable body of water such as a lake. Other factors requiring consideration are their depth, area, extent of flooding during break-up and whether
or not they are entirely frozen during the winter months. The initial investigations are proposed for the Inuvik region and tentatively planned for the early spring of 1961. The work is at present being planned in two phases. First, the investigation of lakes and river channels in the ｾｭ｣ｫ･ｮｺｩ･
Delta itself and second, the investigation of lakes on the Iriuvik side of the East Channel. Work on the Delta will be done first because of the need to complete this phase well before break-up. It is realized that the Delta lakes are somewhat special inasmuch as they are situated in what is essentially an old river bed but they offer many advantages for such a study in terms of homogeneous subsurface soil conditions, as well as close similarity in their above grade environment. It is believed that the age of these Delta lakes can be established at least roughly from an examination of the vegetation and that this will permit the selection of lakes suitable for this study.
It is suggested that initially, three lakes will be examined of varying area and depth (15 feet is believed to be the maximum depth of the Delta lakes). At least one old
4
-(now vegetation filled) and one existing Delta river channel will also be studied. It is anticipated that at least two
drill holes will be required in each lake and river channel, one at the middle and one towards the edge to determine the level of permafrost and to provide continuous core samples for sub-soil information. Additional information on the permafrost profile will be obtained wherever possible using hand augering methods combined with hand-driven casing. Related information to be recorded will include thickness of ice cover, depth ｾｮ､
temperature of unfrozen water, area, depth and volume of each water body as well as flow rate in the case of a river and some estimate of local run-off if this is possible in the
case of a lake. In addition it is proposed that a sequence of airphotos be taken during the break-up period to record flooding conditions in and adjacent to the sites under study.
The tentative schedule calls for the start of drilling by April 1st and will require the services of a drill crew.
The drilling should be completed on the Delta by May 1st
to permit the heavy equipment to be returned to Inuvik before break-up begins. Additional permafrost probing by hand methods may, however, continue until the 15th of May. A thermocouple
