Dynamic mechanical characteristics of frozen subgrade soil subjected to freeze-thaw cycles

As a widely-applied engineering material in cold regions, the frozen subgrade soils are usually subjected to seismic loading, which are also dramatically influenced by the freeze-thaw(F-T)cycles due to the varying temperature. A series of dynamic cyclic triaxial experiments were conducted through a cryogenic triaxial apparatus for exploring the influences of F-T cycles on the dynamic mechanical properties of frozen subgrade clay.According to the experimental results of frozen clay at the temperature of-10℃, the dynamic responses and microstructure variation at different times of F-T cycles(0, 1, 5, and 20 cycles) were explored in detail.It is experimentally demonstrated that the dynamic stress-strain curves and dynamic volumetric strain curves of frozen clay are significantly sparse after 20F-T cycles. Meanwhile, the cyclic number at failure(Nf) of the frozen specimen reduces by 89% after 20freeze-thaw cycles at a low ratio of the dynamic stress amplitude. In addition, with the increasing F-T cycles,the axial accumulative strain, residual deformation,and the value of damage variable of frozen clay increase, while the dynamic resilient modulus and dynamic strength decrease. Finally, the influence of the F-T cycles on the failure mechanisms of frozen clay was discussed in terms of the microstructure variation. These studies contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental changes in the dynamic mechanical of frozen soils exposed to F-T cycles in cold and seismic regions.

Research on damage failure mechanism and dynamic mechanical behavior of layered shale with different angles under confining pressure

The hydrostatic or confining pressure of deep rocks has a significant impact on the mechanical behavior of brittle materials.Especially when confining pressure is applied,the mechanical properties of rock materials will undergo significant changes.Considering that the process of shale sample subjected to impact load is in a closed container in the dynamic triaxial SHPB test,the failure process of the sample cannot be observed.Meanwhile,the activation volume of the shale sample would be large and local failure would occur in the test under the high strain rate loading.Therefore,thefinite element model of shale considering the bedding effect under confining pressure was established in this study.Taking shale materials with different bedding dip angles as simulation objects,the dynamic failure characteristics of shale were studied using the dynamic analysis software ANSYS/LS‐DYNA from three aspects:stress‐strain curve,failure growth process,and failure morphology.The research results obtained can serve as the key technical parameters for deep resource extraction.

Dynamic Elastic Modulus and Damping Ratio of Lignin-Modified Loess

To effectively improve the poor engineering properties of loess and enhance its seismic performance,the industrial by-product lignin is used as a modified material.Based on lots of dynamic triaxial tests,the dynamic elastic modulus and damping ratio of lignin-modified loess were tested.The effects of lignin content on the dynamic elastic modulus and damping ratio of lignin-modified loess were analyzed.Combined with scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD),the microscopic mechanism of lignin to improve the dynamic properties of loess was studied.The results show that lignin can effectively modify the dynamic deformation of loess under dynamic load.Under the same dynamic stress condition,the dynamic strain of lignin-modified loess is smaller than compacted loess.The dynamic elastic modulus of modified loess with different lignin content are quite different,but both decrease with the increase of dynamic strain.And the dynamic elastic modulus of modified loess is greater than compacted loess.The maximum dynamic elastic modulus of modified loess with a lignin content of 1%are significantly greater than others.Under the same dynamic strain condition,the damping ratio of lignin-modified loess is smaller than compacted loess.Lignin can effectively fill loess pores and cement loess particles.Compared with compacted loess,no new mineral components are generated in the lignin-modified loess.The optimum lignin content of dynamics characteristic of modified loess is present,and the optimum lignin content is 1%.

Test on dynamic characteristics of subgrade of heavy-haul railway in cold regions

Dynamic characteristics of heavy-haul railway subgrade under vibratory loading in cold regions are investigated via low-temperature dynamie triaxial tests with multi-stage eyelic loading process. The relationship between dynamic shear stress and dynamic shear strain of frozen soil of subgrade under train loading and the influence of freezing temperatures on dynamic constitutive relation, dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio are observed in this study. Test results show that the dynamic constitutive relations of the frozen soils with different freezing temperatures comply with the hyperbolic model, in which model parameters a and b decrease with increasing freezing temperature. The dynamic shear modulus of the frozen soils decreases with increasing dynamic shear strains initially, followed by a relatively smooth attenuation tendency, whereas increases with decreasing freezing temperatures. The damping ratios decrease with decreasing freezing temperatures. Two linear functions are defined to express the linear relationships between dynamic shear modulus （damping ratio） and freezing temperature, respectively, in which corresponding linear coefficients are obtained through multiple regression analysis of test data.

Influence of artificial freezing onliquefaction characteristics of Nanjing sand

Purpose–This study purposes to study the influence of artificial freezing on the liquefaction characteristics of Nanjing sand,as well as its mechanism.Design/methodology/approach–was studied through dynamic triaxial tests by means of the GDS dynamic triaxial system on Nanjing sand extensively discovered in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River under seismic load and metro train vibration load,respectively,and potential hazards of the two loads to the freezing construction of Nanjing sand were also identified in the tests.Findings–The results show that under both seismic load and metro train vibration load,freeze-thaw cycles will significantly reduce the stiffness and liquefaction resistance of Nanjing sand,especially in the first freezethaw cycle;the more freeze-thaw cycles,the worse structural behaviors of silty-fine sand,and the easier to liquefy;freeze-thaw cycles will increase the sensitivity of Nanjing sand’s dynamic pore pressure to dynamic load response;the lower the freezing temperature and the effective confining pressure,the worse the liquefaction resistance of Nanjing sand after freeze-thaw cycles;compared to the metro train vibration load,the seismic load in Nanjing is potentially less dangerous to freezing construction of Nanjing sand.Originality/value–The research results are helpful to the construction of the artificial ground freezing of the subway crossing passage in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and to ensure the construction safety of the subway tunnel and its crossing passage.

Stability of the Guiding Dike in Yangtze Estuary Under the Wave Load

During the construction of the guiding dike in the Yangtze Estuary, some of the caisson structures sank into the soil for 1 -5 m or slid about 20 m away from the original place when a strong storm attacked this area. Dynamic triaxial tests were carried out to simulate the behavior of foundation soils under wave loading. The test results show that the excessive settlement and lateral movement of the caissons are due to the weakening of the soft clay strength during the strong storm. The test results also show that the ability of the soft clay to resist the wave force will be greatly increased when the soft soil samples are suitably improved. Based on the test results, an improvement method combining vertical drains with surcharge loading was proposed to strengthen the foundation soil. On the improved soil foundation, the dike has been reconstructed and undergone several strong storms without any damage. A finite element approach has been developed for analyzing the settlement and stability of the dike under the action of strong storm.

Experimental research on the development of residual strain in seasonal frozen soil under freezing-thawing and impact type traffic loads

Vehicle load is among the main factors affecting the deformation of subgrade soil.In this research study,the concept of impact type traffic load is introduced to investigate the effects of vehicle load based on the dynamic stress and displacement time histories acquired from seasonal frozen subgrade soils.Using freezing-thawing and dynamic triaxial tests and considering the amplitude and loading sequence of impact type traffic load,the residual deformation characteristics of subgrade soil under impact type traffic loads and freezing-thawing cycles is studied.It was found that under impact type traffic load,the residual deformation of soils increased sharply as the amplitude of impact type traffic load increased.It was also found that the increase in the amplitude of impact type traffic load led to the increase of residual deformation in a scale of power and exponential function.The amplitudes of impact type traffic load affect the development stress-strain path of the residual strain.After the soil experienced the proper amount of pre-vibration of the light load,residual deformation decreased by 15%.After freezing-thawing,the residual strain of soil increased as the amplitude of the impact type traffic loads increased.Also,when the amplification effect of freezing-thawing on the residual strain was basically stable,the residual deformation increased by about 10%.The peak impact type traffic load had a large effect on soil deformation after the freezing-thawing process,leading to the observation that of the earlier the peaks,the stronger the effect of freezing-thawing.After the soil was subjected to preloading with a small load,the influence of the freezing-thawing cycles gradually stabilized.The results may be useful in preventing and controlling the risk of subgrade soil failure when construction takes place spring thaw periods.

Triaxial dynamics in the quadrupole-deformed rotor

The triaxial dynamics of the quadrupole-deformed rotor model of both the rigid and the irrotational type are investigated in detail. The results indicate that level patterns of the two types of model can be matched with each other to the leading order of the deformation parameter β. In particular, it is found that the dynamical structure of the irrotational type with most triaxial deformation （γ = 30°） is equivalent to that of the rigid type with oblate deformation （7=60°）, and the associated spectrum can be classified into the standard rotational bands obeying the rotational L（L＋1）-law or regrouped into a new ground- and γ-band with odd-even staggering in the new γ-band, commonly recognized as a signature of the triaxiality. The differences between the two types of the model in this case are emphasized, especially in the E2 transitional characteristics.