Estimation of unfrozen water content of saturated sandstones using nuclear magnetic resonance, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and ultrasonic tests

The unfrozenwater content(UWC)is a crucial parameter that affects the strength and thermal properties of rocks in relation to engineering construction and geological disasters in cold regions.In this study,three different methods were employed to test and estimate the UWC of saturated sandstones,including nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP),and ultrasonic methods.The NMR method enabled the direct measurement of the UWC of sandstones using the free induction decay(FID).The MIP method was used to analyze the pore structures of sandstones,with the UWC subsequently calculated based on pore ice crystallization.Therefore,the MIP test constituted an indirect measurement method.Furthermore,a correlation was established between the P-wave velocity and the UWC of these sandstones based on the mixture theory,which could be employed to estimate the UWC as an empirical method.All methods demonstrated that the UWC initially exhibited a rapid decrease from 0C to5C and then generally became constant beyond20C.However,these test methods had different characteristics.The NMR method was used to directly and accurately calculate the UWC in the laboratory.However,the cost and complexity of NMR equipment have precluded its use in the field.The UWC can be effectively estimated by the MIP test,but the estimation accuracy is influenced by the ice crystallization process and the pore size distribution.The P-wave velocity has been demonstrated to be a straightforward and practical empirical parameter and was utilized to estimate the UWC based on the mixture theory.This method may be more suitable in the field.All methods confirmed the existence of a hysteresis phenomenon in the freezing-thawing process.The average hysteresis coefficient was approximately 0.538,thus validating the GibbseThomson equation.This study not only presents alternative methodologies for estimating the UWC of saturated sandstones but also contribute to our understanding of the freezing-thawing process of pore water.

Estimation of the unfrozen water content of saturated sandstones by ultrasonic velocity

The unfrozen water content(UWC)of rocks at low temperature is an important index for evaluating the stability of the rock engineering in cold regions and artificial freezing engineering.This study addresses a new method to estimate the UWC of saturated sandstones at low temperature by using the ultrasonic velocity.Ultrasonic velocity variations can be divided into the normal temperature stage(20 to 0℃),quick phase transition stage(0 to-5℃)and slow phase transition stage(-5 to-25℃).Most increment of ultrasonic velocity is completed in the quick phase transition stage and then turns to be almost a constant in the slow phase transition stage.In addition,the UWC is also measured by using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)technology.It is validated that the ultrasonic velocity and UWC have a similar change law against freezing and thawing temperatures.The WE(weighted equation)model is appropriate to estimate the UWC of saturated sandstones,in which the parameters have been accurately determined rather than by data fitting.In addition,a linear relationship between UWC and ultrasonic velocity is built based on pore ice crystallization theory.It is evidenced that this linear function can be adopted to estimate the UWC at any freezing temperature by using P-wave velocity,which is simple,practical,and accurate enough compared with the WE model.

Hysteresis in the ultrasonic parameters of saturated sandstone during freezing and thawing and correlations with unfrozen water content

Determining the mechanical properties of frozen rock is highly important in cold-area engineering.These properties are essentially correlated with the content of liquid water remaining in frozen rock.Therefore,accurate determination of unfrozen water content could allow rapid evaluation of mechanical properties of frozen rock.This paper investigates the hysteresis characteristics of ultrasonic waves applied to sandstone(in terms of the parameters of P-wave velocity,amplitude,dominant frequency and quality factor Q)and their relationships with unfrozen water content during the freeze-thaw process.Their correlations are analysed in terms of their potential for use as indicators of freezing state and unfrozen water content.The results show that:(1)During a freeze-thaw cycle,the ultrasonic parameters and unfrozen water content of sandstone have significant hysteresis with changes in temperature.(2)There are three clear stages of change during freezing:supercooled stage(0℃to-2℃),rapid freezing stage(-2℃to-3℃),and stable freezing stage(-3℃to-20℃).The changes in unfrozen water content and ultrasonic parameters with freezing temperature are inverse.(3)During a single freeze-thaw cycle,the ultrasonic parameters of sandstone are significantly correlated with its unfrozen water content,and this correlation is affected by the pore structure.For sandstones with mesopores greater than 50%,there are inflection points in the curves of ultrasonic parameters vs.unfrozen water content at-3℃during freezing and at-1℃during thawing.It was found that thermal deformation of the mineral-grain skeleton and variations in the phase composition of pore water change the propagation path of ultrasonic waves.The inflection point in the curve of dominant frequency vs.temperature clearly marks the end of the rapid freezing stage of pore water,in which more than 70%of the pore water freezes.Consequently,the dominant frequency can be used as an index to conveniently estimate the unfrozen water content of frozen rock and,hence,its mechanical properties.

A model of unfrozen water content in rock during freezing and thawing with experimental validation by nuclear magnetic resonance

The unfrozen water content of rock during freezing and thawing has an important influence on its physical and mechanical properties.This study presented a model for calculating the unfrozen water content of rock during freezing and thawing process,considering the influence of unfrozen water film and rock pore structure,which can reflect the hysteresis and super-cooling effects.The pore size distribution cu rves of red sandsto ne and its unfrozen water conte nt under different temperatures during the freezing and thawing process were measured using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) to validate the proposed model.Comparison between the experimental and calculated results indicated that the theoretical model accu rately reflected the water content change law of red sandstone during the freezing and thawing process.Furthermore,the influences of Hamaker constant and surface relaxation parameter on the model results were examined.The results showed that the appropriate magnitude order of Hamaker constant for the red sandstone was 10J to 10J;and when the relaxation parameter of the rock surface was within 25-30 μm/ms,the calculated unfrozen water content using the proposed model was consistent with the experimental value.

Effects of thawing-induced softening on fracture behaviors of frozen rock

Due to the presence of ice and unfrozen water in pores of frozen rock,the rock fracture behaviors are susceptible to temperature.In this study,the potential thawing-induced softening effects on the fracture behaviors of frozen rock is evaluated by testing the tension fracture toughness(KIC)of frozen rock at different temperatures(i.e.-20℃,-15℃,-12℃,-10℃,-8℃,-6℃,-4℃,-2℃,and 0℃).Acoustic emission(AE)and digital image correlation(DIC)methods are utilized to analyze the microcrack propagation during fracturing.The melting of pore ice is measured using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)method.The results indicate that:(1)The KIC of frozen rock decreases moderately between-20℃ and-4℃,and rapidly between-4℃ and 0℃.(2)At-20℃ to-4℃,the fracturing process,deduced from the DIC results at the notch tip,exhibits three stages:elastic deformation,microcrack propagation and microcrack coalescence.However,at-4℃e0℃,only the latter two stages are observed.(3)At-4℃e0℃,the AE activities during fracturing are less than that at-20℃ to-4℃,while more small events are reported.(4)The NMR results demonstrate a reverse variation trend in pore ice content with increasing temperature,that is,a moderate decrease is followed by a sharp decrease and-4℃ is exactly the critical temperature.Next,we interpret the thawing-induced softening effect by linking the evolution in microscopic structure of frozen rock with its macroscopic fracture behaviors as follow:from-20℃ to-4℃,the thickening of the unfrozen water film diminishes the cementation strength between ice and rock skeleton,leading to the decrease in fracture parameters.From-4℃ to 0℃,the cementation effect of ice almost vanishes,and the filling effect of pore ice is reduced significantly,which facilitates microcrack propagation and thus the easier fracture of frozen rocks.

基于土−水特征曲线的非饱和冻土未冻水含量预测

对非饱和土体在冻结温度以下土中未冻水含量进行了理论分析,给出了一种简便的预测方法及其数学模型。基于非饱和土孔隙中气液两相的化学平衡和力学平衡关系,结合土−水特征曲线,给出了以Van Genuchten土−水特征曲线模型参数表示的土体孔隙体积分布密度函数,且水分冻结与土体孔径分布密切相关。根据初始有效饱和度对应的液态水填充的最大孔径和一定冻结温度对应的起始结晶孔径之间的关系,分析了土体孔隙中冰水相变的特征及其临界有效饱和度。当初始有效饱和度超过临界结晶饱和度后,冻结现象才会发生。给出了非饱和土体在冻结温度以下土中未冻水饱和度的预测公式,并通过已有的试验结果对其有效性进行了验证。

Experimental study on the movement of oil spill under freeze-thaw action

Oil leakages cause environmental pollution,economic losses,and even engineering safety accidents.In cold regions,researchers urgently investigate the movement of oil spill in soils exposed to freeze-thaw cycles.In this study,a series of laboratory model experiments were carried out on the migration of oil leakage under freeze-thaw action,and the distributions of the soil temperature,unfrozen water content,and displacement were analyzed.The results showed that under freeze-thaw action,liquid water in soils migrated to the freezing front and accumulated.After the pipe cracked,oil pollutants first gathered at one side of the leak hole,and then moved around.The pipe wall temperature affected the soil temperature field,and the thermal influence range below and transverse the pipe wall(35–40 cm)was larger than that above the pipe wall(8 cm)owing to the soil surface temperature.The leaked oil's temperature would make the temperature of the surrounding soil rise.Oil would inhibit the cooling of the soils.Besides,oil migration was significantly affected by the gravity and water flow patterns.The freeze-thaw action would affect the migration of the oil,which was mainly manifested as inhibiting the diffusion and movement of oil when soils were frozen.Unfrozen water transport caused by freeze-thaw cycles would also inhibit oil migration.The research results would provide a scientific reference for understanding the relationship between the movement of oil pollutants,water,and soil temperature,and for establishing a waterheat-mass transport model in frozen soils.

基于核磁共振技术的土体冻结特征曲线试验研究

冻结特征曲线描述了土中未冻水含量随温度变化的规律,给出适用不同土质的冻结特征曲线计算模型具有重要的工程价值。利用核磁共振技术对6种土体的冻结特征曲线进行了测试,给出了描述土体冻结特征曲线的Michalowski模型参数的确定方法,分析了初始含水率和土体性质对冻结特征曲线的影响,利用Michalowski模型参数的特征对模型进行了改进。研究表明,冻结特征曲线与初始含水率无关,冻结过程中不同初始含水率土体的冻结特征曲线相同。在不考虑温度影响时,模型参数wa近似等于土中最大结合水含量,可以作为分析和评价黏性土特性的重要指标参数。改进后的单参数Michalowski模型可实现对未冻水含量的良好预测,降低了模型的复杂性,提升了模型的实用价值,但模型的适用范围,有待验证。

冻融循环作用下土石混合体水-热-变形相互作用过程研究

冻融循环作用显著影响土石混合体的水-热-变形相互作用过程及力学特性。基于此,本文开展了单向冻融循环作用下土石混合体水-热-变形相互作用及无侧限抗压强度试验。通过单向冻融循环装置对30%砾石含量的土石混合体进行了4次单向冻融循环试验,每次循环根据设定的温度变化曲线持续168小时,模拟实际自然环境中冻结和融化的周期。同时,利用微机控制电液伺服万能试验机开展了未冻融和冻融循环后试样的力学特性测试,并探讨了冻融循环对土石混合体微观结构劣化机理的影响。研究结果表明:单向冻融循环对试样内温度、水分和变形有显著影响。冻融循环过程中土石混合体的融化速率大于冻结速率,试样在冻融循环过程中存在着体积未冻水的迁移和重分布。第一次冻融循环对土石混合体变形影响最为显著,试样的净变形随着冻融循环次数的增加先增大后趋于稳定。此外,反复的单向冻融循环改变了试样的孔隙结构。冻融循环后试样的抗压强度和变形模量分别减小了45.31%和60.92%,其衰减幅值随着冻融循环次数的增加而降低。

考虑孔隙比的冻胀弱敏感性土修正PCHeave模型研究

针对我国严寒地区高速铁路路基填料和机场填方等工程具有严格的压实度要求,而考虑孔隙比的冻胀弱敏感性土冻胀影响研究尚未有系统性的理论分析,采用理论与经验分析相结合的方法,基于冻胀弱敏感性土的孔隙比与渗透系数和未冻水含量之间的关系,建立考虑孔隙比的修正PCHeave模型。基于该模型分析孔隙比与冻胀量、冻结深度和冻胀率之间的关系,并进行试验对比验证。研究结果表明:孔隙比与冻胀弱敏感性土的未冻水含量之间存在很好的线性关系;冻胀弱敏感性土的冻胀量和冻胀率均随孔隙比先增大再减小,即存在一个最不利孔隙比使得冻胀量和冻胀率均达到最大值;冻胀弱敏感性土的冻结深度随孔隙比增大而逐渐增大;若仅考虑孔隙比对饱和渗透系数的影响,冻胀量和冻胀率均随孔隙比显著增加,若仅考虑孔隙比对未冻水含量的影响,冻胀量和冻胀率均随孔隙比减小,但减小幅度很小。冻胀弱敏感性土通常被认为不能产生显著冻胀,在一定孔隙比下也能产生较大冻胀,同时考虑孔隙比对饱和渗透系数与未冻水含量的影响要更合理。冻胀弱敏感性土的冻胀不能忽略孔隙比的变化,与试验结果对比,该模型能够较好地描述孔隙比对冻胀弱敏感性土的冻胀影响。

冻土未冻水含量与其微结构相关试验分析研究

在既定负温下冻土中未冻水和固相冰的动态关系与其初始含水率密切相关,冻土中未冻水含量的改变直接影响了其微观结构的变化,加强不同初始含水率下冻土的未冻水含量与微观结构的定量关系研究对于揭示冻土特殊的物理力学性质具有重要的意义。本文利用新型冷冻扫描电镜对既定负温不同初始含水率(11.8%、23.1%、32.2%、42.2%、54.1%、64.2%、74.8%)下的冻结黏土进行微观结构测试,揭示了不同初始含水率下冻土微观结构的演化特征。同时,利用核磁共振技术测试不同初始含水率和不同温度下冻土的未冻水含量变化过程,探讨了既定负温下初始含水率对冻土未冻水含量与其微结构之间的定量关系。研究结果表明:冻结黏土含水率在液限范围内,随着初始含水率的增加,孔隙结构由集合物间孔隙向粒间孔隙发育,含水率超过液限后,随着初始含水率增加,超集合物间孔隙开始发育,并且在同一负温条件下,随着初始含水率的增加,孔隙分形维数和孔隙面积随之增大;对于高温冻土,随着初始含水率的增加,孔隙分形维数随未冻水含量的增加而增加,对于低温冻土,孔隙分形维数随未冻水含量的减少而增加;最后,建立了不同试验条件下冻土微观结构与其未冻水含量的经验方程,为揭示冻土特殊物理力学特性提供理论基础。

富水地层多圈水平杯型冻结温度场分布形式及变化机理研究

为了掌握富水地层多圈水平杯型冻结温度场的分布形式及发展规律,以昆明地铁城市轨道交通5号线冻结加固工程为背景,通过现场监测、数值计算、室内试验对冻结帷幕温度场变化规律及内在机理展开研究,分析冻结壁温度场在形成过程中的变化规律.试验结果表明:在外部降温计划的作用下,冻结壁温度场按照温度变化过程分为快速降温阶段、潜热释放阶段、稳定温度阶段及冻结维护阶段4个阶段.各阶段曲线变化速率与加固范围内试样未冻水含量变化具有一定的关联,未冻水往往通过影响比热容、导热系数与潜热等热参数对冻结壁温度场的变化规律从而影响到整体下的温度场分布规律.未冻水含量变化通过改变冻结冰体圆柱与土柱的几何位置关系从而影响试样冻结过程中的热传导形式,其中比热容在正温阶段时随温度降低逐渐增加.

冻融作用下水泥改良土未冻水含量及孔隙特征试验研究

水泥基材料注浆是控制人工冻结地层冻融变形普遍有效的措施。基于核磁共振技术,对冻融作用下不同水泥掺量的粉质黏土未冻水含量及冻融前后孔隙特征进行测试,结合扫描电镜和压汞技术分析了冻融前后水泥改良土的孔隙特征变化规律及冻融损伤微观机理。结果表明:①含水量一定时,随着水泥掺量的增大,孔隙中水分子磁化程度对温度的敏感性先增大后减小;②当水泥掺量为0~10%时,正融过程同一温度下,随着水泥掺量的增加,冻结土体中未冻水含量先减小后增大;③相比于未掺水泥的粉质黏土,水泥改良粉质黏土冻融前后孔隙的变化程度较小,当水泥掺量为5%时,其孔隙特征及微观结构受冻融循环影响较小。研究结果可为改良土体抗冻融损伤研究及人工冻结工程地层冻胀融沉稳定性控制提供参考。

双梯度驱动的非饱和冻土水热耦合模型

青藏高原冻土地区的地质灾害与冻土因冻融作用引起的水分重分布密切相关,其实质是复杂水热耦合作用的结果。已有的冻土水热耦合模型较多关注未冻水含量梯度驱动引起的水分迁移过程,而缺乏对温度梯度驱动效应的探讨。基于经典热传导方程和非饱和土体渗流理论,考虑未冻水含量梯度和温度梯度的共同作用,建立了双梯度联合驱动作用下的非饱和冻土水热耦合模型。在采用已有试验数据对模型有效性进行验证的基础上,分别对-5、-10和-15℃3种环境气温条件下土体的水热响应开展了数值模拟。结果表明:温度梯度在冻结过程中对于水分迁移的驱动作用不可忽略;冻结过程中由于冰水相变释放潜热造成冻结速率逐渐减慢;土中水分聚集的位置处于冻结初期形成的冻结锋面处,且外界气温越低,内外温差越大,则土体水分发生聚集的位置越深,水分迁移量相对也越大,冻结过程中土体水分随深度呈S型分布;-5、-10和-15℃环境温度下含水率极值分别位于0.30、0.55和0.70 m深度处,含水率增量分别为3.5%、4.6%和5.5%。

饱和砂砾土未冻水含量预测模型的适应性分析

依托北京地铁19号线草桥站—景风门站联络通道人工地层冻结工程,采用频域反射法得到了不同含泥量饱和砂砾土的冻结特征曲线,分析含泥量对未冻水含量的影响。讨论拟合参数对六种典型未冻水含量预测模型的影响,基于未冻水含量测试结果,开展饱和砂砾土未冻水含量预测模型的适应性分析。结果表明:饱和砂砾土冻结特征曲线随温度降低主要经历快速下降、缓慢下降和稳定三个阶段,含泥量提高引起剧烈相变区间增大,残余含水量明显提高;VG-Clapeyron模型对含泥量0、10%和20%饱和砂砾土均具有较好的适应性,且形式简单,推荐使用VG-Clapeyron模型预测饱和砂砾土未冻水含量随温度的变化规律。

冻土未冻水含量的低场核磁共振试验研究

采用低场核磁共振技术测试了冻融循环过程中不同土质、不同Na Cl离子浓度饱和试样的未冻水含量,结合T2分布曲线从微细观角度分析了冻融过程中未冻水在孔隙赋存分布情况。试验结果表明:冻结过程可分为过冷度段、快速下降段、稳定段3个阶段,而融化过程仅存在稳定段、快速融化段,并不存在与过冷现象对应的过热现象。冻结时大孔隙的水首先冻结,而融化时孔隙水的增加却是从小孔隙开始的,这是由水分热动力学势能的差异导致孔隙水冻结和融化在时间上的有序性。并且分析了冻融循环中土质类型、离子浓度对未冻水含量的影响,以及探讨了冻融过程出现的滞后现象的原因。

冻土未冻水含量的量热法试验研究

冻土未冻水含量不但是评价冻土中水分迁移特性的重要指标,而且也是冻土热工计算中常用的参数。采用未冻水测量方法中的经典量热法对采自中俄石油管道工程大庆-漠河段沿线大兴安岭多年冻土带的6类典型土样(共76个)进行了-0.5、-2、-5、-10℃左右负温下的未冻水含量测试。分析了负温温度t、土质类型和初始含水率wo对未冻水含量wu的影响及其变化规律。通过统计分析,给出了6类土在上述4个给定温度下的未冻水含量代表值及其幂函数wu=at-b方程中的参数值。将黏土、粉质黏土、粉土和泥炭质土各给定温度下的未冻水含量对塑限wp归一化,得到各土类各温度下未冻水量系数值。对其进行幂函数拟合得到wu-wp-t经验计算公式。将温度、土质条件和初始含水率3影响因素进行综合分析,得到各类土在给定温度下的wu-wo-wp关系的二元一次线性回归经验方程式,为实际工程应用提供参考。

青藏铁路冻土未冻水含量与热参数试验

针对青藏铁路沿线路基中广泛分布的冻结粉质粘土,采用脉冲核磁共振法测定不同初始含水量、不同温度条件下冻土中未冻水含量;同时,采用稳定态比较法测定冻土的导热系数,采用量热法测定冻土的比热,据此计算冻土的容积热容量和导温系数.结果表明:冻土中未冻水含量随负温和初始含水量降低而降低,在0^-2℃与初始含水量接近,在-2^-5℃陡降,在-5℃达到突变点,随后又随负温降低而缓慢下降,负温低于-5℃时未冻水含量受初始含水量影响甚微且在13%、18%、23%3种初始含水量条件下的未冻水含量趋于一致;冻土的导热系数随负温降低、初始含水量增大而增大;冻土的容积热容量随负温升高、初始含水量增大而增大;冻土的导温系数随负温升高、初始含水量增大而减小.

高温-高含冰量冻土压缩变形特性研究

高温-高含冰量冻土属于塑性冻土,荷载作用下具有较强的压缩性.为了研究高温-高含冰量冻土的压缩变形特性,采用恒温-变载的试验方法得到了不同温度(-0.3、-0.5、-0.7、-1.0、-1.5℃),不同含水量(40%、80%、120%)条件下冻土试样的体积压缩系数.结果表明:1)高温-高含冰量冻土具有极大的压缩性,青藏黏土40%含水量试样在-0.3℃时的体积压缩系数可达0.328 MPa-1,属于高压缩性土;2)高温-高含冰量冻土在压缩过程中存在渗滤变形,且主要发生于加载的初始阶段;3)温度与含冰量是影响高温-高含冰量冻土压缩性的主要因素,它们决定了冻土中体积未冻水的含量,从而控制了冻土的压缩性;4)在试验条件下,高温-高含冰量冻土的压缩性随着温度的升高而增大,随着含水量的增大而减小.高温时含水量对压缩性的影响比较显著,低温时影响较小.

土体冻融特征研究现状与展望

冻土中水分迁移是导致土体冻胀的关键因素,而研究水分迁移及其驱动力的核心问题是要充分理解未冻水含量与温度、基质吸力等变量之间的关系,这些关系可充分体现土体在冻融过程中土水变化特征.长期以来,对土体冻融特征的研究采取的是与非饱和土力学中的土水特征类比的方法进行,结果也证明了二者存在一定的相似性.但是冻土中因冰-水相界面作用产生基质吸力与融土中水-气相界面作用产生基质吸力的机理并不完全相同,而由于相变等其他作用产生的冻融滞后效应与融土中孔隙"墨水瓶效应"等引起的滞后效应机理也有区别.针对这些机理性的不同,还需要做大量的研究工作才能真正揭示土体的冻融特征.通过对目前土体冻融特征方面研究进展和存在问题的归纳总结,笔者认为今后在这方面还需深入开展如下研究:建立适合各类土壤冻融特征的一般预测模型,使得在缺少数据条件下能快速获取所需土样的冻融特征;研究土体在冻融和干湿变化过程中存在的类似性及区别,对冻融过程中存在的滞后效应机理给出合理的解释;提升冻融特征变量的测试技术水平,研发高精度的相关仪器设备.