Experimental study on DX pile performance in frozen soils under lateral loading

Experiments about working mechanism and mechanical characteristics of the DX model pile foundation under lateral dynamic and static loading were conducted by using a model system of the dynamic frozen soil-pile interaction. The horizontal displacement-force relationship of the pile head and bending moment distribution along the body in frozen soils of different temperatures were discussed. According to test results, both the horizontal disp!acement-force relationship of the DX pile head and bending moment distribution of the DX pile body are smaller than that of equal-diameter piles under same lateral loads. The piles with different plate positions show different displacements and bending moments. This phenomenon is mainly related to the soil temperature and bearing plates locations. Thus, dynamic response analysis of the pile foundation should be taken into account.

A non-destructive method to measure the thermal properties of frozen soils during phase transition

Frozen soils cover about 40% of the land surface on the earth and are responsible for the global energybalances affecting the climate. Measurement of the thermal properties of frozen soils during phasetransition is important for analyzing the thermal transport process. Due to the involvement of phasetransition, the thermal properties of frozen soils are rather complex. This paper introduces the uses of amultifunctional instrument that integrates time domain reflectometry （TDR） sensor and thermal pulsetechnology （TPT） to measure the thermal properties of soil during phase transition. With this method,the extent of phase transition （freezing/thawing） was measured with the TDR module; and the correspondingthermal properties were measured with the TPT module. Therefore, the variation of thermalproperties with the extent of freezing/thawing can be obtained. Wet soils were used to demonstrate theperformance of this measurement method. The performance of individual modules was first validatedwith designed experiments. The new sensor was then used to monitor the properties of soils duringfreezingethawing process, from which the freezing/thawing degree and thermal properties weresimultaneously measured. The results are consistent with documented trends of thermal propertiesvariations. 2015 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strength and stiffness variation of frozen soils according to confinement during freezing

When water between soil particles is frozen, the strength and stiffness behavior of soils significantly change. Thus, nu- merous experimental studies in the laboratory have been carried out to characterize the strength and stiffness of frozen soils. The goals of this study are to evaluate the strength characteristics of frozen soils, which underwent confinement in freezing and shearing stages, and to estimate the stiffness variation by shear wave velocity during shear phase. The specimens are prepared in a brass cell by mixing sand and silt with 10% degree of saturation at a relative density of 60%. The applied normal stresses as confining stresses are 5, 10, 25 and 50 kPa. When the temperature of the specimens is lowered up to -5 ~C, direct shear tests are carried out. Furthermore, shear waves are continuously measured through bender elements during shearing stage for the investigation of stiffness change. Test results show that shear strength and stiffness are significantly affected by the confining stress in freezing and shearing phases. This study suggests that the strength and stiffness of frozen soils may be dependent on the confining stresses applied during freezing and shearing.

Evaluation of creep models for frozen soils

To model the creep behavior of frozen soils, three creep stages have to be reasonably described （i.e., primary, secondary and tertiary stages）. Based on a series of uniaxial creep test results, three creep models were evaluated. It was shown that hypoplastic creep model has high prediction accuracy for both creep strain and strain rate in a wide stress range. The elementary rheological creep model can only be used for creep strains at low stress levels, because of the restraints of its mathematical construction. For the soft soil creep model, the progressive change from the primary to secondary and tertiary stages cannot be captured at high stress levels. Therefore, the elementary rheological and soft soil creep models can only be used for low stress levels without a tertiary stage; while the hypoplastic creep model is applicable at high stress levels with the three creep stages.

STRENGTH AND WAVE VELOCITY TEST ON ARTIFICIALLY FROZEN SOILS

Theoretical analysis conducted of uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength of artificially frozen soil and P waves and S waves and of the relationship between the two. Experiments are made on frozen sand and frozen clay respectively at the temperature of - 7℃, - 12℃and - 17℃. Of the data obtained, regression analysis and gray-system correlation are conducted. As indicated by the results, the frozen soil tensile strength is closely correIated with the P wave velocity and the compressive with the S wave, hence the former is well described by the latter.

The Frozen Soils and Devastating Characteristics of West Kunlun Mountains Pass M_S 8.1 Earthquake Area in 2001

The investigation on damages to frozen soil sites during the West Kunlun Mountains Pass earthquake with M S 8.1 in 2001 shows that the frozen soil in the seismic area is composed mainly of moraine, alluvial deposit, diluvial deposit and lacustrine deposit with the depth varying greatly along the earthquake rupture zone. The deformation and rupture of frozen soil sites are mainly in the form of coseismic fracture zones caused by tectonic motion and fissures, liquefaction, seismic subsidence and collapse resulting from ground motion. The earthquake fracture zones on the surface are main brittle deformations, which, under the effect of sinistral strike-slip movement, are represented by shear fissures, tensional cracks and compressive bulges. The distribution and configuration patterns of deformation and rupture such as fissures, liquefaction, seismic subsidence and landslides are all related to the ambient rock and soil conditions of the earthquake area. The distribution of earthquake damage is characterized by large-scale rupture zones, rapid intensity attenuation along the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Highway, where buildings distribute and predominant effect of rock and soil conditions.

A dynamic soil freezing characteristic curve model for frozen soil

The soil freezing characteristic curve(SFCC)plays a fundamental role in comprehending thermohydraulic behavior and numerical simulation of frozen soil.This study proposes a dynamic model to uniformly express SFCCs amidst varying total water contents throughout the freezing-thawing process.Firstly,a general model is proposed,wherein the unfrozen water content at arbitrary temperature is determined as the lesser of the current total water content and the reference value derived from saturated SFCC.The dynamic performance of this model is verified through test data.Subsequently,in accordance with electric double layer(EDL)theory,the theoretical residual and minimum temperatures in SFCC are calculated to be-14.5℃to-20℃for clay particles and-260℃,respectively.To ensure that the SFCC curve ends at minimum temperature,a correction function is introduced into the general model.Furthermore,a simplified dynamic model is proposed and investigated,necessitating only three parameters inherited from the general model.Additionally,both general and simplified models are evaluated based on a test database and proven to fit the test data exactly across the entire temperature range.Typical recommended parameter values for various types of soils are summarized.Overall,this study provides not only a theoretical basis for most empirical equations but also proposes a new and more general equation to describe the SFCC.

Mechanical behaviors of warm and ice-rich frozen soil stabilized with sulphoaluminate cement

The warm and ice-rich frozen soil is characterized by high unfrozen water content, low shear strength and large compressibility, which is unreliable to meet the stability requirements of engineering infrastructures and foundations in permafrost regions. In this study, a novel approach for stabilizing the warm and ice-rich frozen soil with sulphoaluminate cement was proposed based on chemical stabilization. The mechanical behaviors of the stabilized soil, such as strength and stress-strain relationship, were investigated through a series of triaxial compression tests conducted at -1.0℃, and the mechanism of strength variations of the stabilized soil was also explained based on scanning electron microscope test. The investigations indicated that the strength of stabilized soil to resist failure has been improved, and the linear Mohr-Coulomb criteria can accurately reflect the shear strength of stabilized soil under various applied confining pressure. The increase in both curing age and cement mixing ratio were favorable to the growth of cohesion and internal friction angle. More importantly, the strength improvement mechanism of the stabilized soil is attributed to the formation of structural skeleton and the generation of cementitious hydration products within itself. Therefore, the investigations conducted in this study provide valuable references for chemical stabilization of warm and ice-rich frozen ground, thereby providing a basis for in-situ ground improvement for reinforcing warm and ice-rich permafrost foundations by soil-cement column installation.

Experimental and numerical interpretation on composite foundation consisting of soil-cement column within warm and ice-rich frozen soil

Affected by climate warming and anthropogenic disturbances, the thermo-mechanical stability of warm and ice-rich frozen ground along the Qinghai-Tibet engineering corridor(QTEC) is continuously decreased, which may delay the construction of major projects in the future. In this study, based on chemical stabilization of warm and icerich frozen ground, the soil-cement column(SCC) for ground improvement was recommended to reinforce the foundations in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions. To explore the validity of countermeasures mentioned above, both the original foundation and the composite foundation consisting of SCC with soil temperature of -1.0℃ were prepared in the laboratory, and then the plate loading tests were carried out. The laboratory investigations indicated that the bearing capacity of composite foundation consisting of SCC was higher than that of original foundation, and the total deformation of original foundation was greater than that of composite foundation, meaning that overall stability of foundation with warm and ice-rich frozen soil can be improved by SCC installation. Meanwhile, a numerical model considering the interface interaction between frozen soil and SCC was established for interpretating the bearing mechanism of composite foundation. The numerical investigations revealed that the SCC within composite foundation was responsible for the more applied load, and the applied load can be delivered to deeper zone in depth due to the SCC installation, which was favorable for improving the bearing characteristic of composite foundation. The investigations provide the valuable guideline for the choice of engineering supporting techniques to major projects within the QTEC.

Creep characteristics and constitutive model for frozen mixed soils

The uniform settle caused by the permafrost creep is still the primary problem of engineering construction in cold region.To investigate the creep characteristics of frozen soils mixed with silty clay and coarse-grained sand,several triaxial creep tests of frozen mixed soils under different conditions(temperature,confining pressure,coarse-grained particle content) were performed,and the effects of the temperature,confining pressure and coarse particle content on the creep characteristics of frozen mixed soils were also analyzed.The results of the experiments indicated that when the confining pressure was low,the specimen exhibited an attenuation creep under a low-stress level(0.4-0.7) and a non-attenuation creep under a high-stress level(0.7-0.9).In contrast,when the confining pressure was high,the specimen had both initial and stable creep stages,but no the accelerated creep stage.The higher the content of coarse grains,the shorter the stable creep stage,and the easier to enter the accelerated creep stage for the specimen.Further,the long-term strength of frozen soils decreased with an increase in the content of coarse grains.Finally,a newly improved Nishihara model was proposed to consider both the hardening effect and damage effect by introducing both the hardening and damage variables,which can model the entire creep process of frozen soils modeled relatively easily.It was found that with the increasing content of coarse particle,both the strengthening and damaged effects in the creep process are reduced。

A rate-dependent constitutive model for saturated frozen soil considering local breakage mechanism

A rate-dependent constitutive model for saturated frozen soil is vital in frozen soil mechanics,especially when simultaneously describing the nonlinearity,dilatancy and strain-softening characteristics.The distribution of the non-uniform strain rate of saturated frozen soil at the meso-scale due to the local icecementation breakage is described by a newly binary-medium-based homogenization equation.Based on the field-equation-based approach of the meso-mechanics theory,the interaction expression of the strain rate at macro-and meso-scale is derived,which can give the strain rate concentration tensor at different crushed degrees.With the thermodynamics and empirical assumption,a breakage ratio in the rate-dependent form is determined.This overcomes the limitations of the existing binary-medium-based models that are difficult to simulate rate-dependent mechanical response.Based on these assumptions,a newly binary-medium-based rate-dependent model is proposed considering both the ice bond breakage and material composition characteristics of saturated frozen soil.The proposed constitutive model has been validated by the test results on frozen soils with different temperatures and strain rates.

A Water-Heat-Force Coupled Framework for the Preparation of Soils for Application in Frozen Soil Model Test

The freezing of soil containing a liquid is a complex transient heat conduction problem involving phase change and release or absorption of latent heat.Existing efforts have essentially focused on theoretical research and numerical simulations.In the present study,the problem is approached from an experimental point of view using the so-called“freezing model test”method.In particular,in order to establish a precise relationship between the model and the prototype,a temperature similarity criterion is derived using the condition of an equal number of Kosovitch.Similarity is also established with respect to other aspects.A similarity criterion for the water field is determined on the basis of relevant partial differential equations.Analogous criteria for the stress field and load are derived using an elastic model.The validity of this approach is experimentally verified.The research results provide a practical and reasonable method for calculating the parameters for preparing model soils.They also constitute a theoretical basis and a technical support for the design and implementation of a water-heat-force similarity coupled framework.

Stabilized effects of L-S cement-mixed batter pile composite foundation for existed warm frozen soil subgrade

In permafrost regions with warm frozen soil,subgrade thaw-collapse phenomenon commonly occurs,facing thaw collapse problems of the existed frozen soil subgrade,thus it is difficult to use traditional methods such as active cooling and passive protection technology to stabilize the existed warm frozen soil subgrade.This study derives a novel stabilizer method,a long-short(L-S)cement-mixed batter pile composite foundation to stabilize the existed warm frozen soil subgrade.To solve the thawcollapse problems in warm frozen soil subgrade,high water content and large compressibility characteristics were compared between soft soil and warm frozen soils.Theoretical analysis of heat conduction and numerical simulation of finite element model were used to study the freeze–thaw process and evaluate the stabilized effects of the L-S cement-mixed batter piles on the warm frozen soil foundation of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway.Furthermore,the thaw process and mechanical properties of foundation and piles were analyzed by introducing the hydration heat factor in the thermodynamic control equation.The results indicate that the thawing displacement of the existed warm frozen soil subgrade was reduced owing to the“support”and“grasp”effects of the L-S cement-mixed batter piles on the surrounding soil.The composite ground formed by strengthening the warm frozen ground with batter piles could considerably improve the bearing capacity of the existed warm frozen ground,effectively restrain the deformation of the upper embankment,and improve the strength of the ground.The analysis can provide method for the construction design of cement mixing batter pile foundation in cold regions.

Effects of confining pressure and temperature on strength and deformation behavior of frozen saline silty clay

Buildings are always affected by frost heave and thaw settlement in cold regions,even where saline soil is present.This paper describes the triaxial testing results of frozen silty clay with high salt content and examines the in-fluence of confining pressure and temperature on its mechanical characteristics.Conventional triaxial compression tests were conducted under different confining pressures(0.5–7.0 MPa)and temperatures(-6℃,-8℃,-10℃,and-12℃).The test results show that when the confining pressure is less than 1 MPa,the frozen saline silty clay is dominated by brittle behavior with the X-shaped dilatancy failure mode.As the confining pressure increases,the sample gradually transitions from brittle to plastic behavior.The strength of frozen saline silty clay rises first and then decreases with increasing confining pressure.The improved Duncan-Chang hyperbolic model can describe the stress-strain relationship of frozen saline silty clay.And the parabolic strength criterion can be used to describe the strength evolution of frozen saline silty clay.The function relation of strength parameters with temperature is obtained by fitting,and the results of the parabolic strength criterion are in good agreement with the experimental results,especially when confining pressure is less than 5 MPa.Therefore,the study has important guiding significance for design and construction when considering high salinity soil as an engineering material in cold regions.

Dynamic behavior of frozen soil under uniaxial strain and stress conditions

The split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB） method is used to investigate the dynamic behavior of the artificial frozen soil under the nearly uniaxial strain and uniaxial stress conditions. The tests are conducted at the temperatures of -3 ℃, -8 ℃, -13℃, -17℃, -23℃, and -28℃ and with the strain rates from 900 s^-1 to 1500 s^-1. The nearly uniaxial stress-strain curves exhibit an elastic-plastic behavior, whereas the uniaxial stress-strain curves show a brittle behavior. The compressive strength of the frozen soil exhibits the positive strain rate and negative temperature sensitivity, and the final strain of the frozen soil shows the positive strain under the nearly uniaxial strain is greater rate sensitivity. The strength of the frozen soil than that under the uniaxial stress. After the negative confinement tests, the specimens are compressed, and the visible cracks are not observed. However, the specimens are catastrophically damaged after the uniaxial SHPB tests. A phenomenological model with the thermal sensitivity is established to describe the dynamic behavior of the confined frozen soil.

Shear strength of frozen clay under freezing-thawing cycles using triaxial tests

Using a new low-temperature dynamic triaxial apparatus, the influence law of freezing-thawing cycles on clay shear strength is studied. In this research, the concept of correction coefficients of freezing-thawing cycles on clay static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles is proposed, and the change patterns, correction curves and regressive formulae of clay static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles under freezing-thawing cycles are given. The test results indicate that with increasing numbers of freezing-thawing cycles, the clay static strength and cohesion decrease exponentially but the internal friction angle increases exponentially. The performance of static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles are different with increasing numbers of freezing-thawing cycles, i.e., the static strength decreases constantly until about 30% of the initial static strength prior to the freezing-thawing cycling and then stays basically stable. After 5-7 freezing-thawing cycles, the cohesion decreases gradually to about 70% of the initial cohesion. The internal friction angle increases about 20% after the first freezing-thawing cycle, then increases gradually close to a stable value which is an increase of about 40% of the internal friction angle. The freezing-thawing process can increase the variation of the density of the soil samples; therefore, strict density discreteness standards of frozen soil sample preparation should be established to ensure the reliability of the test results.

In-situ experiment investigations of hydrothermal process of highway in deep seasonal frozen soil regions of Inner Mongolia, China

To reveal the influencing factors and changing rules for the hydrothermal interaction process of highway subgrade, the field measurements of Shiwei-Labudalin Highway in Inner Mongolia, China was conducted for 3 years, based on which the freezing-thawing rules and water content changing characteristics were analyzed. The main results show the subgrade presents a frequent freezing-thawing alternation, and the water content of subgrade exhibits an obvious seasonal alternation. The subbase has the maximum water content, while the base has the minimum water content. The change of water flux is concentrated in the thawing period and consistent with the change of temperature gradient. The subbase layer has the most active water flux due to the heat absorption and impermeability of pavement that easily causes the water accumulation in this layer. Therefore, the prevention and treatment for the freezing-thawing disease should be started from heat insulation and water resistance.

The Numerical Scheme Development of a Simplified Frozen Soil Model

In almost all frozen soil models used currently, three variables of temperature, ice content and moisture content are used as prognostic variables and the rate term, accounting for the contribution of the phase change between water and ice, is shown explicitly in both the energy and mass balance equations. The models must be solved by a numerical method with an iterative process, and the rate term of the phase change needs to be pre-estimated at the beginning in each iteration step. Since the rate term of the phase change in the energy equation is closely related to the release or absorption of the great amount of fusion heat, a small error in the rate term estimation will introduce greater error in the energy balance, which will amplify the error in the temperature calculation and in turn, cause problems for the numerical solution convergence. In this work, in order to first reduce the trouble, the methodology of the variable transformation is applied to a simplified frozen soil model used currently, which leads to new frozen soil scheme used in this work. In the new scheme, the enthalpy and the total water equivalent are used as predictive variables in the governing equations to replace temperature, volumetric soil moisture and ice content used in many current models. By doing so, the rate terms of the phase change are not shown explicitly in both the mass and energy equations and its pre-estimation is avoided. Secondly, in order to solve this new scheme more functionally, the development of the numerical scheme to the new scheme is described and a numerical algorithm appropriate to the numerical scheme is developed. In order to evaluate the new scheme of the frozen soil model and its relevant algorithm, a series of model evaluations are conducted by comparing numerical results from the new model scheme with three observational data sets. The comparisons show that the results from the model are in good agreement with these data sets in both the change trend of variables and their magnitude values, and the new scheme, together with the algorithm, is more efficient and saves more computer time.

Anomaly feature of seasonal frozen soil variationson the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The seasonal frozen soil on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has strong response to climate change, and its freezing-thawing process also affects East Asia climate. In this paper, the freezing soil maximum depth of 46 stations covering 1961–1999 on the plateau is analyzed by rotated experience orthogonal function (REOF). The results show that there are four main frozen anomaly regions on the plateau, i.e., the northeastern, southeastern and southern parts of the plateau and Qaidam Basin. The freezing soil depths of the annual anomaly regions in the above representative stations show that there are different changing trends. The main trend, except for the Qaidam Basin, has been decreasing since the 1980s, a sign of the climate warming. Compared with the 1980s, on the average, the maximum soil depth decreased by about 0.02 m, 0.05 m and 0.14 m in the northeastern, southeastern and southern parts of the plateau, but increased by about 0.57 m in the Qaidam Basin during the 1990s. It means there are different responses to climate system in the above areas. The spectrum analysis reveals different change cycles: in higher frequency there is an about 2-year long cycle in Qaidam Basin and southern part of the plateau in the four representative areas whereas in lower frequency there is an about 14-year long cycle in all the four representative areas due to the combined influence of different soil textures and solutes in four areas.

Development and Validation of a Simple Frozen SoilParameterization Scheme Used for Climate Model

A simple frozen soil parameterization scheme is developed based on NCAR LSM and the effects of re-vised scheme are investigated using Former Soviet Union (FSU) 6 stations measurement data. In the revised model, soil ice content and the energy change in phase change process is considered; the original soil thermal conductivity scheme is replaced by Johanson scheme and the soil thermal and hydraulic properties is modi-fied depending on soil ice content. The comparison of original model with revised model results indicates that the frozen soil scheme can reasonably simulate the energy budget in soil column and the variation of thermal and hydraulic properties as the soil ice content changes. Soil moisture in spring is decreased because of the reduction of infiltration and increment of runoff. Consequently, the partition of heat flux and surface temperature changes correspondingly.