Understanding the mechanical properties of frozen soils is of primary importance to permafrost engineering. Data from creep tests are necessary for the design of most foundation elements embedded in, or bearing on frozen ground. They make it possible to predict the time-dependent settlements of piles and shallow foundations under service loads, and to estimate their short- and long-term bearing capacity. Creep tests also provide quantitative parameters for the stability analysis of underground structures that are created for permanent use.

It must be recognized that the structure of frozen soil in situ and its behavior under load may differ significantly from that of an artificially prepared specimen in the laboratory. This is mainly due to the fact that natural permafrost ground may contain ice in many different forms and sizes, in addition to the pore ice contained in a small laboratory specimen. These large ground-ice inclusions (such as ice lenses) will considerably affect the time-dependent behavior of full-scale engineering structures.

In order to obtain reliable results, high-quality undisturbed representative permafrost samples are required for creep tests. The quality of the sample depends on the type of frozen soil sampled, the in situ thermal condition at the time of sampling, the sampling method, and the transportation and storage procedures prior to testing. The best testing program can be ruined by poor-quality samples. In addition, one must always keep in mind that the application of laboratory results to practical problems requires much caution and engineering judgment.