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.

Mechanical and acoustic emission characteristics of anhydrite rock under freeze-thaw cycles

To study the damage mechanisms of anhydrite rock under freeze-thaw cycles, the physicalmechanical properties and the microcracking activities of anhydrite rock were investigated through mass variation, nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscope tests, and uniaxial compression combined with acoustic emission(AE) tests. Results show that with the increase of freeze-thaw processes,the mass, uniaxial compression strength, and elastic modulus of the anhydrite specimens decrease while the porosity and plasticity characteristics increase.For example, after 120 cycles, the uniaxial compression strength and elastic modulus decrease by 46.54% and 60.16%, and the porosity increase by 75%. Combined with the evolution trend of stressstrain curves and the detected events, three stages were labeled to investigate the AE characteristics in freeze-thaw weathered anhydrite rock. It is found that with the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the proportions of AE counts in stage Ⅰ and stage Ⅱ show a decaying exponential trend. Contrarily, the proportion of AE counts in stage Ⅲ displays an exponential ascending trend. Meanwhile, as the freeze-thaw cycles increase, the low-frequency AE signals increase while the intermediate-frequency AE signals decrease. After 120 cycles, the proportion of low-frequency AE signals increases by 168.95%, and the proportion of intermediate-frequency AE signals reduces by 81.14%. It is concluded that the microtensile cracking events occupy a dominant position during the loading process. With the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the b value of samples decreases.After 120 cycles, b value decreases by 27.2%, which means that the proportion of cracking events in rocks with small amplitude decreases. Finally, it is proposed that the freeze-thaw damage mechanism of anhydrite is also characterized by the water chemical softening effect.

Effect of PVA Fiber on the Dynamic and Static Mechanical Properties of Concrete under Freeze-thaw Cycles at Extremely Low Temperature(-70℃)

In order to study the effect of PVA fiber on the dynamic and static mechanical properties of low-temperature freeze-thaw concrete under the saturated surface dry state,different contents of PVA fiber were added to prepare concrete in this experiment.The concrete was subjected to compression,flexural and SHPB impact tests combined with scanning electron microscopy for microstructure analysis,after different times of freeze-thaw cycles in the temperature range of 20-70℃.The experimental results show that the compressive strength of the PVA fiber reinforced concrete first increases and then decreases after freeze and thaw cycles,and the compressive strength is positively correlated with the fiber content.The flexural strength gradually decreases with freeze-thaw cycles.The flexural strength of the concrete with 1.2 kg/m^(3) of PVA fiber presents the lowest strength loss after 45 freeze and thaw cycles,which is about 14%.The dynamic failure strength gradually decreases with the increase of freeze-thaw times,and the reduction amplitude decreases with the increase of PVA fiber content.The best impact resistance is achieved when the PVA fiber dosage is 1.2 kg/m^(3).

Substitution of Aggregates in Concrete and Mortar with Coltan Mining Waste: Mechanical, Environmental, and Economic Impact Case Study

The mining process involves drilling and excavation, resulting in the production of waste rock and tailings. The waste materials are then removed and stored in designated areas. This study aims to evaluate the mechanical strength and the environmental and economic impact of using Coltan Mining Waste (CMW) as a substitute for aggregates in concrete and mortar production. To achieve this, the CMW needs to be characterised. The Dreux Gorisse method was primarily used to produce concrete with a strength of 20 MPa at 28 days. The mortars, on the other hand, were formulated according to the NF P 18-452 standard. The environmental impact of using CMW as substitutes for natural aggregates in the production of concrete and mortar was analysed using SimaPro software. The results showed that mortars and concrete made with CMW have comparable compressive strengths to the reference mortar and concrete;reduce the negative impact on ecosystem quality, human health, resources, and climate change. It has also been shown that the substitution of aggregates by CMW reduces the cost of concrete and mortar as a function of the distance from the aggregate footprint.

Finite element simulation for mechanical response of surface mounted solder joints under different temperature cycling

Nonlinear finite element simulation for mechanical response of surface mounted solder joint under different temperature cycling was carried out. Seven sets of parameters were used in order to evaluate the influence of temperature cycling profile parameters. The results show that temperature cycling history has significant effect on the stress response of the solder joint. Based on the concept of relative damage stress proposed by the authors, it is found that enough high temperature holding time is necessary for designing the temperature cycling profile in accelerated thermal fatigue test.

Influence of Moderate Temperature Treatment on Thermal Cycling Behaviour and Mechanical Properties of the CuAINiMnTi Alloys

The influence of moderate temperature treatment after quenching on thermal cycling behaviour and mechanical properties of the CuAlNiMnTi shape memory alloys have been investigated.It is shown that there will be α phase precipitation in the alloy when it is subjected to quenching followed by moderate temperature treatment at 600℃.The precipitation of α phase can suppress NiAl-base phase precipitation during subsequent thermal cycling,therefore the stabilization of transformation temperature during thermal cycling can be achieved.The suitable amount of α phase precipitation contributes to the improvement of mechanical properties of the alloy by changing the fracture morphology.

Improvement of strength of B/Al composite by thermal-mechanical cycling

The mechanical properties of B/Al composite were measured at room temperature in the as-fabricated condition and after thermal-mechanical cycling(TMC). The effects of TMC on microstructure and tensile fracture behavior of B/Al composite were studied using transmission electron microscope(TEM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The fibers/matrix interfaces are degraded during TMC, the extent of which is enhanced with increasing the cycles, causing a measurable decrease of stageⅠmodulus of the B/Al composite. The TMC induces the dislocation generation in the aluminum matrix and the dislocation density increases with the cycles. The synergistic effect of the matrix strengthening and the interfacial degradation during TMC is found to play an important role in controlling the changes of tensile strengths and fracture behavior of the composite. The ultimate tensile strength of the composite increases with the cycles increasing. The interfaces in the B/Al composite change from the strongly-bonded states toward the appropriately-bonded ones with increasing the cycles. TMC will provide an approach of improving the strength of B/Al composites.

First Cycle Effect of Polycrystalline CuZnAl Shape Memory Alloy during Thermal-Mechanical Cycling

The thermal-mechanical (T-M) cycles at constant strain of a polycrystalline CuZnAl alloy have been studied in the. present work. In-situ optical microscopic observations have been made to reveal the features of the phase transitions during T-M cycling. The variation of stress-temperature (S-T) curves and electrical resistance-temperature (R-T) curves accompanying with T-M cycling have been measured by tensile test and electrical resistance measurements. It has been found that the polycrystalline CuZnAl alloy shows apparent morphology changes and properties variations in the first cycle during T-M cycling which is called the first cycle effect in the present work. The stable transformation procedure in the T-M cycle is: martensiteparent phase +residual acicular martensite. This residual martensite possesses the character of stress-induced martensite.

Buildings and civil engineering works-Sealants-Determination of changes in cohesion and appearance of elastic weatherproofing sealants after exposure of statically cured specimens to artificial weathering and mechanical cycling

Foreword ISO(the International Organization for Standardization)is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies(ISO member bodies).The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees.Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee.

Review of the influence of freeze-thaw cycles on the physical and mechanical properties of soil

Seasonally frozen soil is a four-phase material and its physical-mechanical properties are more complex compared to the unfrozen soil. Its physical properties changes during the freeze-thaw process; repeated fieeze-thaw cycles change the characteristics of soil, which can render the soil from an unstable state to a new dynamic equilibrium state. The freezing process changes the structttre coupled between the soil particle arrangements, which will change the mechanical properties of the soil. The method of significance and interaction between different fac tors should be considered to measure the influence on the propties of soil under freeze-thaw cycles.

Effects of Composition and Thermal Cycle on Transformation Behaviors,Thermal Stability and Mechanical Properties of CuAlAg Alloy

The phase transformation behavior, mechanical properties, and the thermal stability of CuAlAg alloy were studied and minor rare earth (0.1 wt pct La+Ce) was added to improve the mechanical property of the studied alloy. It was found that Ag addition in the CuAl binary alloy can improve the stability of martensitic transformation and high Al content leads to the disappearing of martensitic transformation. The tensile strength and strain of the Cu-10.6AI-5.8Ag (wt pct) alloy were measured to be 383.5 MPa and 0.86%, respectively. With rare earth addition, the tensile strain increased from 0.86% to 1.47%. The CuAlAg alloy did not exhibit martensitic transformation on the second heating process. Its poor thermal stability still needs to be improved.

Experimental studies on the pore structure and mechanical properties of anhydrite rock under freeze-thaw cycles

To study the deterioration mechanisms of anhydrite rock under the freeze-thaw weathering process,the physico-mechanical characteristics and microstructure evolutions of anhydrite samples were determined by a series of laboratory tests.Then,a descriptive-behavioral model was used to measure the integrity loss in anhydrite samples caused by cyclic freeze-thaw.Finally,the freeze-thaw damage mechanisms of anhydrite rock were revealed from the macro and micro aspects.The results show that the pore size of the anhydrite rock is mainly concentrated in the range of 0.001-10μm.As the number of freeze-thaw cycles increases,there is a growth in the proportion of macropores and mesopores.However,the proportion of micropores shows a declining trend.The relations of the uniaxial compressive strength,triaxial compressive strength,cohesion,and elastic modulus versus freeze-thaw cycles can be fitted by a decreasing exponential function,while the internal friction angle is basically unchanged with freezethaw cycles.With the increase of confining pressure,the disintegration rates of the compressive strength and the elastic modulus decrease,and the corresponding half-life values increase,which reveals that the increase of confining pressures could inhibit freeze-thaw damage to rocks.Moreover,it has been proven that the water chemical softening mechanism plays an essential role in the freeze-thaw damage to anhydrite rock.Furtherly,it is concluded that the freeze-thaw weathering process significantly influences the macroscopic and microscopic damages of anhydrite rock.

Effect of cyclic wetting-drying on tensile mechanical behavior and microstructure of clay-bearing sandstone

The understanding of the weakening mechanism of tensile strength of rock subjected to cyclic wetting-drying is critical for rock engineering.Tensile strength tests were conducted on a total of 35 sandstone specimens with different wetting-drying cycles.The crack propagation process and acoustic emission characteristics of the tested samples were obtained through a high-speed camera and acoustic emission system.The results indicate that the tensile strength is observably reduced after cyclic wetting-drying,and the extent of the reduction is not only related to the number of wettingdrying cycle,but also closely related to the clay mineral content of the sample.In addition,as the cycles of wetting-drying increase,the effect of each single cycle on tensile strength get reduced until it becomes constant.Moreover,the crack initiation and penetration time is prolonged as the number of wetting-drying cycle increases,which indicates that cyclic wetting-drying weakens the rock stiffness and enhances the ductility of sandstone.Meanwhile,the acoustic emission characteristics of the tested samples further confirmed the ductile behaviour of the sandstone samples with increasing wetting-drying cycle.Furthermore,through the analysis of the microstructure and mineral composition of the samples with different wetting-drying cycles,it is concluded that the main weakening mechanisms of sandstones containing clay minerals are frictional reduction,chemical and corrosive deterioration.

A Kinetic Evidence for the Nitroxyl Radicals Recycling Mechanism in the Photostabilizing Process of HALS

The photoinduced bulk polymerization of a reactive-hindered amine light stabilizers (r-HALS), 4-acryloyl-2, 2, 6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl (ATMP), was performed at 80 C by using a DPC technique. An unique periodic exponential attenuation-type oscillating curve was found when the polymerization was carried out in air, but this phenomenon was not found in nitrogen. It is supposed that this unique kinetic performance may be attributed to nitroxyl radicals that are produced in situ from the oxidation of ATMP. ATMP polymer with narrow polydispersity (d = 1.03) can be obtained by photoinduced solution polymerization of ATMP. The signal detected in ESR may be assigned to the nitroxyl radicals in the matrix of ATMP polymer. Since this kind of recycling of nitroxyl radicals is well documented for the photostabilizing mechanism of HALS, the present results may serve as a kinetic evidence for this mechanism.

Influence of Erosion Induced by NaCl on the Mechanical Performances of Alkali-Activated Mineral Admixtures

In this paper,the influence of NaCl freeze-thaw(F-T)cycles and dry-wet(D-W)alternations on theflexural,com-pressive and bonding strengths of alkali-activatedfly ash(FA)and a blast furnace slag powder(BFS)is investi-gated.The considered NaCl concentration is 3%.The effect of polypropylenefibers on the mechanical strengths is also examined.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM),thermogravimetry(TG)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)are selected to discern the mechanisms underpinning the NaCl-induced erosion.The obtained results indicate that the best results in terms of material resistance are obtained with admixtures containing 60%BFS and 40%FA in terms of mass ratio and 3%polypropylenefibers in terms of volume ratio.The maximum rates of decrease of theflexural,compressive and bonding strengths after 300 NaCl F-T cycles are 21.5%,20.3%and 22.6%,respec-tively.The corresponding rates of decrease due to NaCl D-W alternations are 28.1%,26.1%and 31.5%,respec-tively.The TG curves show that the alkali-activating activity of BFS is higher than that of FA.Moreover,in thefirst case,the microstructure of the hydration products is more compact.The results also show that NaCl F-T cycles lead to increasing cracks in the alkali-activated BFS.

Effect of freeze-thaw cycles on mechanical behavior of clay-gravel mixtures

The use of clay-gravel mixtures(i.e.,adding excavated or natural gravel particles into clay soil matrix)as the main filling materials is increasing in the anti-seepage system of high Earth Core Rockfill Dams(ECRDs).With the continuous construction of high ECRDs in the Chinese plateaus and cold regions,it is of great urgency and importance to understand the physical and mechanical characteristics of compacted clay-gravel mixtures under freeze-thaw action.To this end,laboratory freezing-thawing tests,computed tomography(CT),and triaxial compression tests were conducted to evaluate the effects of freezethaw cycles on moisture loss,pore structure characteristics,stress-strain behavior,failure strength,elastic modulus,cohesion,and internal friction angle of compacted clay-gravel mixtures.The results demonstrate that,1)the freeze-thaw cycle significantly changed the mechanical characteristics of the clay-gravel mixture samples,but the shape of the stress-strain curve is less sensitive to it.2)The failure strength of samples exhibits a significant decrease after the first freeze-thaw cycle,but shows a certain increase as the number of freeze-thaw cycles increases from 1 to 2.3)The elastic modulus of samples first decreases and then increases with increasing freeze-thaw cycle,and the most severe deterioration was observed after the first freeze-thaw cycle.4)Regardless of the number of freeze-thaw cycles,there is a linear relationship between failure strength and elastic modulus for a sample that has suffered freeze-thaw weathering.5)The cohesion of samples decreases firstly and then slightly increases with increasing freeze-thaw cycles,while the internal friction angle is hardly affected.

Axial Mechanical Properties of Timber Columns Subjected to Freeze-Thaw Cycles

The behaviour of timber columns subjected to freeze-thaw cycles under axial compression is presented in this paper.A total of forty specimens,including twenty circular timber columns and twenty square timber columns,were tested under axial compression.The failure modes,ultimate bearing capacity,ductility coefficient,load-displacement curves and load-strain curves were obtained and analyzed.The number of freeze-thaw cycles(from 0 to 80)and the specimens’height(from 225 mm to 360 mm)were considered as the main parameters.After freeze-thaw cycles,there was no obvious change on the surface of the timber columns.The test results showed that freeze-thaw cycles could reduce the ultimate bearing capacity of the timber columns,and the average reduction of the ultimate bearing capacity of the specimen reached 28%.The ductility coefficient of the square specimens subjected to freeze-thaw cycles almost remains constant compared with that of the square timber columns left untreated.While the ductility coefficient of the circular timber columns increases after freeze-thaw cycles.In addition,based on the extensive experimental analysis,a regression formula is derived to predict the ultimate bearing capacity of the timber columns after being subjected to freeze-thaw cycles,which is proved to be reasonable accurate.

Characteristics and triggering mechanisms of early negative Indian Ocean Dipole

Negative Indian Ocean Dipole(nIOD)can exert great impacts on global climate and can also strongly influence the climate in China.Early nIOD is a major type of nIOD,which can induce more pronounced climate anomalies in summer than La Niña-related nIOD.However,the characteristics and triggering mechanisms of early nIOD are unclear.Our results based on reanalysis datasets indicate that the early nIOD and La Niña-related nIOD are the two major types of nIOD,and the former accounts for over one third of all the nIOD events in the past six decades.These two types of nIODs are similar in their intensities,but are different in their spatial patterns and seasonal cycles.The early nIOD,which develops in spring and peaks in summer,is one season earlier than the La Niña-related nIOD.The spatial pattern of the wind anomaly associated with early nIOD exhibits a winter monsoon-like pattern,with strong westerly anomalies in the equatorial Indian Ocean and eastly anomalies in the northern Indian Ocean.Opposite to the triggering mechanism of early positve IOD,the early nIOD is induced by delayed Indian summer monsoon onset.The results of this study are helpful for improving the prediction skill of IOD and its climate impacts.

Fatigue behaviour of coke drum materials under thermal-mechanical cyclic loading

Coke drums are vertical pressure vessels used in the delayed coking process in petroleum refineries. Significant temperature variation during the delayed coking process causes damage in cracking. There were some studies on coke drums in the form of bulging and the fatigue life estimation for the coke drums, but most of them were based on strain-fatigue life curves at constant temperatures, which do not consider simultaneous cyclic temperature and mechanical loading conditions. In this study, a fatigue testing system is successfully devel- oped to allow performing thermal-mechanical fatigue （TMF） test similar to the coke drum loading condition. Two commonly used base and one clad materials of coke drums are then experimentally investigated. In addition, a comparative study between isothermal and TMF lives of these materials is conducted. The experimental findings lead to better understanding of the damage mechanisms occurring in coke drums and more accurate prediction of fatigue life of coke drum materials.

EFFECTS OF THERMAL CYCLE ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SiC PARTICLES REINFORCED MoSi_2 COMPOSITE

MoSi_2 and 30 vol.% SiC_p/MoSi_2 composite have been fabricated by hot pressing (HP).A simulated thermal cycle experiment has been carried out at 1100℃ for 32 h to investigate the stability of the composite system.Comparative,mechanical tests,including measurement of flexural strength and fracture toughness at room temperature,have been conducted between materials before and after thermal cycle.It is shown that both the strength and fracture toughness are enhanced by the addition of SiC particles. After thermal cycle,the strength of both materials increases and the toughness decreases by about 20%.The result that the composite system is not corroded intensely by thermal cycle shows that SiC particles are feasible reinforcement for MoSi2.