Frost-heaving pressure in geotechnical engineering materials during freezing process

Energy and resources including coal, oil, and gas are in demand all over the world. Because these resources near the earth's surface have been exploited for many years, the extraction depth has increased.As mining shafts in the coal extraction process become deeper, especially in western China, an artificial freezing method is used and is concentrated in the fractured rock mass. The frost-heaving pressure(FHP)is directly related to the degree of damage of the fractured rock mass. This paper is focused on FHP during the freezing process, with emphasis on the frost-heaving phenomenon in engineering materials. A review of the frost phenomenon in the geotechnical engineering literature indicates that:(1) During the soil freezing process, the ice content that is influenced by unfrozen water and the freezing rate are the determining factors of FHP;(2) During the freezing process of rock and other porous media, the resulting cracks should be considered because the FHP may damage the crack structure;(3) The FHP in a joint rock mass is analyzed by the joint deformation in field and experimental tests and can be simulated by the equivalent expansion method including water migration and joint deformation.

Combination effect of seasonal freezing and artificial freezing on frost heave of silty clay

To investigate the frost-heave properties of silty clay under the combination action of seasonal freezing and artificial freezing, and verify the feasibility of combined freezing, eight combined freezing experiments were performed on silty clay with water content (mass fraction) of 23.5% and 28.0%, through developed frost-heave test apparatus, in closed or open system. Two sorts of freezing temperature models, namely, constant and sine models, were applied to artificial freezing. The experimental results indicate that the frost-heave degree in seasonal freezing stage accounts for over 90% of the total in open system and it is up to 95% in closed system; the change of artificial sine-freezing temperature has no influence on the frost-heave degree in closed system, however, slight influence in open system. It is found that the variation of temperature gradient of sine-freezing specimen lags behind that of sine-freezing temperature with half phase; sine-freezing temperature model can reduce frost-heave degree of soil. Brand new technology is proposed for the application of artificial ground freezing and new study field of artificial freezing is created.

New semi-analytical approach for ice lens heaving during artificial freezing of fine-grained material

The calculation of frost heaving with ice lens formation is still not standard for construction projects using artificial ground freezing(AGF).In fine-grained material,ice lenses may initiate and lead to significant heaving at the ground surface,which should be considered in advance.However,the complex processes during ice lens formation are still not fully understood and difficult to capture in a simple approach.In the past,the semi-analytical approach of Konrad and Morgenstern used one soil constant,the“segregation potential(SP)”.It has been mainly and most successfully applied to the heave calculation of natural-induced soil freezing in cold regions.Its application to AGF has been so far unsuccessful.To solve this,a new semi-analytical approach is presented in this paper.It includes AGF conditions such as bottom-up freezing,temperature gradients to reach great freezing velocities,and a distinction between two freezing states.One is the freezing-up state until a certain frost body thickness is reached(thermal transient state),and the other is a holding phase where the frost body thickness is kept constant(thermal quasi-steady state).To test its ability,the results are applied to another freezing direction,the top-down freezing.The new approach is validated using two different frost-susceptible soils and,in total,50 frost heave tests.In the thermal transient region,where the SP is applicable,the two semi-analytical approaches are compared,showing improved performance of the current method by about 15%.

Frost-heave properties of saturated compacted silty clay under one-side freezing condition

In seasonally frozen regions,the frost-heave properties of soil play a significant role in its upper-structure performance and durability.To investigate the frost-heave behaviors of saturated,compacted silty clay soil widely used as subgrade material,a series of one-side freezing tests was carried out;and the freezing depth and frozen front effected by the compactness,temperature,overburden pressure,and water-supply condition were analyzed and discussed.The results show that the moving speed of the frozen front and growth rate of the frozen depth are positively correlated.The frost heave is maximum in the frost-heave stability condition.The frost ratio of saturated soil is proportional to the water supply and cooling temperature under a one-side freezing condition.The frost ratio of saturated soil is inversely proportional to the initial compactness of the soil specimen and the overburden pressure.

Effects of Near-surface Low Temperature on Freezing Injury of ‘Tunisian Soft-Seed’ Pomegranate

[Objective]The paper was to explore the influence of near-surface low temperature on cultivation of soft-seed pomegranate,and to provide guidance for planting location of soft-seed pomegranate.[Method]Taking 10 soft-seed pomegranate planting plots under different site conditions as the research objects,the near-surface low temperature of 45-50 cm was dynamically monitored from December 1,2018 to February 20,2019,and comparative analysis was made based on the local meteorological data over the same period.[Result]The near-surface low temperature of each temperature monitoring point was lower than the local meteorological data,which were all in the range of low temperature causing freezing in-jury of pomegranate trees,but the degree of freezing injury was different.The variation of near-surface low temperature was positively correlated with the altitude of terrain,but negatively correlated with the difference of topography and landform.When the local topography and landform were similar,the accumulation time of near-surface low temperature was negatively correlated with the altitude of terrain,while the duration of low tem-perature directly affected the degree of freezing injury.[Conclusion]The development of soft-seed pomegranate cultivation in Tunisia along Huang Mangling region in Henan Province refers to the local meteorological data.Meantime,it is also necessary to pay attention to the impact of regional microclimate environment,especially early monitoring of near-surface temperature to select suitable site and natural conditions.

Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical modeling of frost heave and water migration during artificial freezing of soils for mineshaft sinking

Artificial freezing of water-bearing soil layers composing a sedimentary deposit can induce frost heave and water migration that affect the natural stress-strain state of the soil layers and freezing process.In the present paper,a thermo-hydro-mechanical(THM)model for freezing of water-saturated soil is proposed to study the effects of frost heave and water migration in frozen soils on the formation of a frozen wall and subsequent excavation activity for sinking a vertical shaft.The governing equations of the model are formulated relative to porosity,temperature,and displacement which are considered as primary variables.The relationship between temperature,pore water,and ice pressure in frozen soil is established by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation,whereas the interaction between the stress-strain behavior and changes in porosity and pore pressure is described with the poromechanics theory.Moreover,constitutive relations for additional mechanical deformation are incorporated to describe volumetric expansion of soil during freezing as well as creep strain of soil in the frozen state.The ability of the proposed model to capture the frost heave of frozen soil is demonstrated by a comparison between numerical results and experimental data given by a one-sided freezing test.Also to validate the model in other freezing conditions,a radial freezing experiment is performed.After the validation procedure,the model is applied to numerical simulation of artificial freezing of silt and sand layers for shaft sinking at Petrikov potash mine in Belarus.Comparison of calculated temperature with thermal monitoring data during active freezing stage is presented.Numerical analysis of deformation of unsupported sidewall of a shaft inside the frozen wall is conducted to account for the change in natural stress-strain state of soil layers induced by artificial freezing.

Dexamethasone prevents vascular damage in earlystage non-freezing cold injury of the sciatic nerve

Non-freezing cold injury is a prevalent cause of peripheral nerve damage, but its pathogenic mechanism is poorly understood, and treatment remains inadequate. Glucocorticoids have anti-inflammatory and lipid peroxidation-inhibiting properties. We therefore examined whether dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid compound, would alleviate early-stage non-freezing cold injury of the sciatic nerve. We established Wistar rat models of non-freezing cold injury by exposing the left sciatic nerve to cold（3–5°C） for 2 hours, then administered dexamethasone（3 mg/kg intraperitoneally） to half of the models. One day after injury, the concentration of Evans blue tracer in the injured sciatic nerve of rats that received dexamethasone was notably lower than that in the injured sciatic nerve of rats that did not receive dexamethasone; neither Evans blue dye nor capillary stenosis was observed in the endoneurium, but myelinated nerve fibers were markedly degenerated in the injured sciatic nerve of animals that received dexamethasone. After dexamethasone administration, however, endoneurial vasculopathy was markedly improved, although damage to the myelinated nerve fiber was not alleviated. These findings suggest that dexamethasone protects the blood-nerve barrier, but its benefit in non-freezing cold injury is limited to the vascular system.

Monitoring Winter Wheat Freeze Injury Using Multi-Temporal MODIS Data

Freeze injury is an usual disaster for winter wheat in Shanxi Province, China, and monitoring freeze injury is of important economic significance. The aim of this article is to monitor and analyze the winter wheat freeze injury using remote sensing data, to monitor the occurrence and spatial distribution of winter wheat freeze in time, as well as the severity of the damage. The winter wheat freeze injury was monitored using multi-temporal moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer （MODIS） data, combined with ground meteorological data and field survey data, the change of normalized difference vegetation index （NDVI） before and after freeze injury was analyzed, as well as the effect of winter wheat growth recovery rate on yield. The results showed that the NDVI of winter wheat decreased dramatically after the suffering from freeze injury, which was the prominent feature for the winter wheat freeze injury monitoring. The degrees of winter wheat freeze injury were different in the three regions, of which, Yuncheng was the worst severity and the largest freeze injury area, the severity of freeze injury correlates with the breeding stage of the winter wheat. The yield of winter wheat showed positive correlation with its growth recovery rate （r=0.659^＊＊ which can be utilized to monitor the severity of winter wheat freeze injury as well as its impact on yield. It can effectively monitor the occurrence and severity of winter wheat freeze injury using horizontal and vertical profile distribution and growth wheat freeze injury in Shanxi Province. recovery rate, and provide a basis for monitoring the winter

Study on Supercooling Point and Freezing Point in Floral Organs of Apricot

Under the environment of an artificial climate chamber, supercooling point （SCP） and freezing point （FP） in flower and young fruit at different development stages and freezing injuries of floral organs were studied. The apricot cultivars tested were Kety, Golden Sun and Honghebao. With the development of flower buds, SCP and FP increased, which indicated that their cold resistance decreased. SCP and FP varied with different floral organs. For different apricot cultivars, it was found that, the lower SCP or FP in floral organs was, the more resistant capacity the cultivar had, and the larger the temperature interval from SCP to FP was. SCP was not a constant value, but a range. Frequency distribution of SCP in petals was more dispersing than that in stamens and pistils. Floral organs could maintain a supercooling state to avoid ice formation, but they were sensitive to freezing. Once floral organs froze, thev turned brown after thawing.

Geotechnical problems on freezing ground soil and experimental investigation in Kazakhstan

Frost susceptibility should be considered in the design and construction of foundations and retaining-wall structures in regions with the seasonally freezing-soil ground condition.When planning construction that goes deep into this soil,one has to understand the impact of horizontal forces to an underground wall and realize the potential effect of frost heaving upon,deep foundations.This article presents a few soil tests for frost heaving and the results of those tests show dangerous data for retaining structures under the soil conditions in Kazakhstan.The main parameters of the soil include frost penetration and heaving rate and amount.So,in designing underground structures,one must understand and consider that frost heaving occurs in various directions;this factor is very important for predicting on the restriction of deformations of structures in the seasonally freezing-soil ground condition.

Exploring the Feasibility of Winter Wheat Freeze Injury by Integrating Grey System Model with RS and GIS

Winter wheat freeze injury is one of the main agro-meteorological disasters affecting wheat production. In order to evaluate the severity of freeze injury on winter wheat systematically, we proposed a grey-system model （GSM） to monitor the degree and the distribution of the winter wheat freeze injury. The model combines remote sensing （RS） and geographic information system （GIS） technology. It gave examples of wheat freeze injury monitoring applications in Gaocheng and Jinzhou of Hebei Province, China. We carried out a quantitative evaluation method study on the severity of winter wheat freeze injury. First, a grey relational analysis （GRA） was conducted. At the same time, the weights of the stressful factors were determined. Then a wheat freezing injury stress multiple factor spatial matrix was constructed using spatial interpolation technology. Finally, a winter wheat freeze damage evaluation model was established through grey clustering algorithm （GCA）, and classifying the study area into three sub-areas, affected by severe, medium or light disasters. The evaluation model were verified by the Kappa model, the overall accuracy reached 78.82% and the Kappa coefficient was 0.6754. Therefore, through integration of GSM with RS images as well as GIS analysis, quantitative evaluation and study of winter wheat freeze disasters can be conducted objectively and accurately, making the evaluation model more scientific.

Deformation monitoring and analysis at two frost mounds during freeze–thaw cycles along the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor

This paper presents various deformation-monitoring technologies employed to monitor the frost heave and thaw settlement of two mounds along the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor(QTEC), China. The QTEC is known as a critical infrastructure and passage connecting inland China and the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau(QTP). Three technologies—global navigation satellite system(GNSS), terrestrial laser scanning(TLS), and unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)—were used to estimate the freeze/thaw–induced 3D surface deformation of two frost mounds. Our results showed that (1) the two frost mounds exhibited mainly thaw settlement in thawing periods and frost heave in the freezing period, but frost heave dominated after repeated freeze–thaw cycles;(2) different zones of the mounds showed different deformation characteristics;(3) active-layer thickness(ALT) and elevation changes were highly correlated during thaw periods;(4) integrated 3D-measurement technologies can achieve a better understanding and assessment of hazards in the permafrost area.

Differential susceptibility of murine hemopoietic cells and lymphocytes to freezing－thawing process

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Human Sperm Freezing: Mini Update

Sperm freezing is widely used in ART clinics around the globe. Very little has actually changed with respect to cryopreservation protocols and methodology of freezing over the last 50 years. The aim of this paper is to briefly review the basic principles that underlie freezing and ice crystal formation and also provide a brief overview of newer sperm freezing techniques like sperm vitrification and freeze drying of sperm.

A Frost Heaving Prediction Approach for Ground Uplift Simulation Due to Freeze-Sealing Pipe Roof Method

Freeze-sealing pipe roof method is applied in the Gongbei tunnel,which causes the ground surface uplift induced by frost heave.A frost heaving prediction approach based on the coefficient of cold expansion is proposed to simulate the ground deformation of the Gongbei tunnel.The coefficient of cold expansion in the model and the frost heaving rate from the frost heave test under the hydration condition can achieve a good correspondence making the calculation result closer to the actual engineering.The ground surface uplift along the lateral and longitudinal direction are respectively analyzed and compared with the field measured data to validate the model.The results show that a good agreement between the frost heaving prediction model and the field measured data verifies the rationality and applicability of the proposed model.The maximum uplift of the Gongbei tunnel appears at the center of the model,gradually decreasing along with the lateral and longitudinal directions.The curve in the lateral direction presents a normal distribution due to the influence of the constraint of two sides,while the one along the lateral direction shapes like a parabola with the opening downward due to the temperature field distribution.The model provides a reference for frost heaving engineering calculation.

Prediction of the potential distribution and analysis of the freezing injury risk of winter wheat on the Loess Plateau under climate change

Determining the suitable areas for winter wheat under climate change and assessing the risk of freezing injury are crucial for the cultivation of winter wheat.We used an optimized Maximum Entropy(MaxEnt)Model to predict the potential distribution of winter wheat in the current period(1970-2020)and the future period(2021-2100)under four shared socioeconomic pathway scenarios(SSPs).We applied statistical downscaling methods to downscale future climate data,established a scientific and practical freezing injury index(FII)by considering the growth period of winter wheat,and analyzed the characteristics of abrupt changes in winter wheat freezing injury by using the Mann-Kendall(M-K)test.The results showed that the prediction accuracy AUC value of the MaxEnt Model reached 0.976.The minimum temperature in the coldest month,precipitation in the wettest season and annual precipitation were the main factors affecting the spatial distribution of winter wheat.The total suitable area of winter wheat was approximately 4.40×10^(7)ha in the current period.In the 2070s,the moderately suitable areas had the greatest increase by 9.02×10^(5)ha under SSP245 and the least increase by 6.53×10^(5)ha under SSP370.The centroid coordinates of the total suitable areas tended to move northward.The potential risks of freezing injury in the high-latitude and-altitude areas of the Loess Plateau,China increased significantly.The northern areas of Xinzhou in Shanxi Province,China suffered the most serious freezing injury,and the southern areas of the Loess Plateau suffered the least.Environmental factors such as temperature,precipitation and geographical location had important impacts on the suitable area distribution and freezing injury risk of winter wheat.In the future,greater attention should be paid to the northward boundaries of both the winter wheat planting areas and the areas of freezing injury risk to provide the early warning of freezing injury and implement corresponding management strategies.

混凝土冻融作用下冻结应力演化规律及对抗冻性能的影响

为了探究严寒地区混凝土冻害机理及冻结应力对混凝土抗冻性的影响,基于大型极端气候模拟器模拟-40℃低温冻害的条件,采用研制的冻结应力测试装置对F300高抗冻等级混凝土在冻融单次降温阶段及降温-升温冻融循环两种模式下的冻结应力及抗冻性能进行研究,同时利用了环境扫描电子显微镜对冻融循环作用下的混凝土微观裂缝进行了测试研究。研究表明:-40℃单次降温过程中降温速率越快,冻结应力出现的时间越早、混凝土内部产生的冻结应力增幅也越大;冻融循环降温阶段产生的冻结应力会随降温-升温冻融作用的不断循环而累积增大,且冻结应力的发展存在转变拐点,在相同降温终了试件中心低温条件下,降温阶段的降温速率越大,冻结应力由增加转入减小的拐点出现越早;冻融过程中的冻结应力与混凝土质量损失、相对动弹性模量两个抗冻性常用评价指标有较好的对应关系;冻结应力逐步使水泥浆体产生损伤,表现为微观裂缝的生成与发展,损伤积聚产生冻害。

含引气剂海工混凝土的抗冻性能及其梁受弯承载力

为了研究引气剂对海工混凝土抗冻性能及其梁受弯承载力的影响,对2种配合比6根海工混凝土梁及相应的冻损试件进行总计100次快速冻融试验;采用质量损失率、动弹性模量损伤度和抗压强度损失率对混凝土冻融损伤程度进行有效评价;考虑混凝土抗压强度退化以及等效矩形应力图系数的变化,提出了冻融作用下海工混凝土梁正截面受弯承载力计算公式。结果表明:加入引气剂可以增强海工混凝土的抗冻性能,降低梁的开裂弯矩退化速率,但会降低混凝土强度和梁的极限弯矩;在150次冻融循环内,提出的模型能够较好地预测冻融作用下海工混凝土梁的正截面受弯承载力。

冻结作用下土石坝护坡土石混合体水分迁移试验研究

土石坝护坡冻胀破坏主要由护坡砂砾料垫层、坝体填土自身冻胀和水分迁移共同作用引起。针对寒区土石坝护坡普遍存在的隆起、错位、坍塌等冻胀破坏问题,以寒区某土石坝护坡工程砂砾料垫层、坝体填土为研究对象,采用自研的土石混合体水分迁移冻结模型试验装置系统,开展了补水条件下单向冻结模型试验研究,研究了温度、含石量、水分迁移对土石坝护坡土石混合体冻胀特性的影响。研究结果表明:温度、含石量对土石混合体的冻胀特性影响显著;水分迁移受土石含量、温度和含水率影响,护坡砂砾料垫层和坝体填土含水率越大,冻结过程中水分迁移量越大,水分相变成冰的条件越充分;土、石分层对黏土温度变化影响较大,黏土和砾石分层可有效减小水分迁移量和冻胀量,对土石坝护坡防冻胀是有利的;土石混合体内部孔隙水相变成冰并在试样内部形成分凝冰是冻胀量增加的主要原因,土石混合体原位冻胀以及冻结过程中分凝冰的生长使冻胀量不断增加,且补水量越大,试样冻胀量就越大;不同温度、含石量下试样的冻胀量均随补水量的增加而基本呈线性增大,且含石量对冻胀量增加速率影响较小,温度对冻胀量增加速率影响较显著。研究成果可为寒区土石坝护坡设计和运行管理提供科学依据和技术支撑,补充了碾压式土石坝设计规范中的护坡设计。

冻融循环下水工混凝土的相对动弹性模量和质量变化规律研究

为了研究冻融循环条件下水工混凝土相对动弹性模量和质量的变化规律,基于混凝土冻融破坏机理和现实情况分析,通过预制混凝土护坡砌块和不同配合比水工混凝土试件的快速冻融试验,分析了质量损失率、相对动弹性模量和冻融循环次数的关系。结果表明:冻融试件质量损失率转为正值时为相对动弹性模量快速降低之时,此时混凝土的含水率为快速破坏含水率;冻融过程中,试件质量前期增加,后期减少,但相对动弹性模量一直降低;可以通过快速修补、防渗处理等方式延缓水工混凝土达到快速破坏含水率,实现提高抗冻性能的目的。