About Us
For over 40 years, Arctic Foundations, Inc. has provided its customers and teaming partners rapid, well-conceived solutions to geotechnical problems through the application of their proprietary ground freezing technology.
The company analyzes, designs, manufactures, installs, and operates heat transfer and ground freezing systems that enhance the engineering characteristics of soil and rock. Strengthening soils, controlling water, and immobilizing water borne hazardous contaminants are typical benefits to end-users. AFI systems are designed for the long-term and may well outlast the structures they are supporting or protecting.
An exemplary understanding of the interrelationship of diverse engineering disciplines, and many years of development and operational experience allows AFI to offer its clients superior systems with lower life-cycle costs than its competitors.
As the arctic, sub-arctic, and antarctic regions of the world are developed, one of the major engineering and construction obstacles is the permafrost. Our frozen lands are a design challenge to planners, engineers, and contractors.
Climatic changes and surface damage due to development have caused thawing and degradation of this frozen ground. Repeated thawing and freezing causes heaving, sloughing, and creeping. It can destroy foundations in a matter of seasons.
Solutions
Realizing the need to maintain permafrost and the advantages of freezing previously thawed unstable ground, Erv Long developed the Thermopile system in the late 1950’s.
Working at that time for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Long patented his passive thermal transfer process. The first commercial units were installed by the Corps in 1960. These installations at the Aurora communication site are still functioning today.
With hundreds of installations and thousands of units designed, manufactured and installed, AFI has been the leader in state-of-the-art passive ground freezing and thawing systems.
As development continues in the unstable arctic and sub-arctic areas, these systems have become more refined and improved. In addition to providing the premier foundations for buildings, tanks, towers, and other structures on permafrost, AFI has designed and worked with many aspects of the permafrost stabilization problem. They have developed frost-proof bench marks for use by surveyors, pioneered controlled thawing techniques to eliminate frost and frost heave in some areas, and worked extensively on stabilization of land-slide areas. Their experience also includes deployment of impervious frozen barriers to confine hazardous waste and control groundwater, passive freezers, geothermal heating, and water supply dams.