scholarly journals Shear Strength and Microstructure of Intact Loess Subjected to Freeze-Thaw Cycling

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Kuan Liu ◽  
Wanjun Ye ◽  
Hongjun Jing

In the Loess Plateau, seasonal freeze and thaw cause great damage to the mechanical behavior and microstructure of soil, which leads to frequent geological disasters during winter and spring. To investigate the influence of freeze-thaw (FT) cycling (FTC) on the shear strength and microstructure of intact loess, triaxial shear, nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscope tests were carried out on soil samples after target FT cycles. The results indicate that the FTC has limited changes to the soil stress-strain curve, but has a significant attenuation effect on the peak deviatoric stress. The peak deviatoric stress was attenuated by FTC but changed insignificantly after ten cycles. The cohesive force decays exponentially with the number of FT cycles, while the internal friction angle increases slightly. Moreover, under FTC, the T2 hydrogen spectra of soil samples showed a multimodal distribution, with the main peak appearing to have two obvious upward shifts that occurred at 6 and 10 FT cycles. Indeed, a depolarization phenomenon related to the directional frequency of soil particles was observed, and the mass fractal dimension of the pore network increased slightly. In an FT environment, the shear strength declines due to accumulated internal microstructural damage. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the response of loess to FTC and provide novel ideas for the prevention of frost damage in loess areas.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongqiang Xiong ◽  
Jianlin Li ◽  
Lehua Wang ◽  
Huafeng Deng ◽  
Xiaoliang Xu

Abstract Extreme ice-snow melting in winter affects the infiltration process of snow water on the slope surface significantly, and plays an important role in the deformation stability of landslide. The fluctuation trend of slope stability under ice-snow melting is the same as that of soil volume water content. The deterioration effect of mechanical parameters will directly affect the deformation stability of bank slope. Based on this, the ice-snow melting cycle model test of slope soil was designed and carried out. The results are showed.(1) We were established an ice-snow melting model based on physical process. In the process of ice-snow melting, the soil cohesion and internal friction Angle have obvious deterioration effect .The deterioration of cohesion is obviously larger than that of internal friction Angle. In the early part of the ice-snow melting cycle, the deterioration of shear strength parameters is very obvious. Among them, the deterioration of shear strength parameters caused by the first four ice-snow melting cycles accounted for about 70% of the total deterioration. After the G2/T2 ice-snow melting cycle, the degree of phase deterioration gradually decreases. The deterioration trend of shear parameters of soil samples gradually tends to be gentle. (2) In the ice-snow melting cycle, the inside of the soil samples have micro-cracks, fissures repeatedly opened and closed, gradually developed and converged. The result is that the soil samples change from dense state to loose state where internal cracks develop. The internal damage of soil samples is the fundamental reason for the gradual deterioration of shear strength.(3)We are keep to the relative independence principle of creep model and unsaturated seepage equation. We are studied and improved the parameter solving method of creep model. The modified model is reasonable and effective. The creep trend and main characteristics of the unsaturated soil can be described well. Shear strength deterioration effect and slope reliability analysis under extreme ice-snow melting conditions .It has important reference significance to the protection of extreme snow and ice disaster on the bank slope.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1251
Author(s):  
Tao Luo ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Xiangtian Xu ◽  
Yanjun Shen ◽  
Hailiang Jia ◽  
...  

Frost damage of concrete has significant effects on the safety and durability of concrete structures in cold regions, and the concrete structures after repair and reinforcement are still threatened by cyclic freezing and thawing. In this study, the new-to-old concrete interface was reinforced by steel bar. The shear strength of the new-to-old concrete interface was tested after the new-to-old combination was subjected to cyclic freeze–thaw. The effects of the diameter of the steel bar, the compressive strength of new concrete, the number of freeze–thaw cycles and the freezing temperatures on the shear properties of new-to-old concrete interface were studied. The results showed that, in a certain range, the shear strength of the interface was proportional to the diameter of the steel bar and the strength of the new concrete. Meanwhile, the shear strength of the reinforced interface decreased with the decreasing of the freezing temperature and the increasing of the number of freeze–thaw cycles.


Author(s):  
S.A. Wandira ◽  
A. Rahayu

Tawaeli - Toboli is one of the road that often undergo landslide. Most of these roads are in a mountainous area with high steep slopes and poor soil conditions. The road conditions worsened, especially in rainy season resulting the citizen do not know anywhere that is prone to landslides such as in Km 16 to 17. The purpose of this study was to analyze slope stability using bioengineering methods, determine the shear strength of soil without plant roots and soil with plant roots and to determine the potential for landslides that will occur. Bioengineering is used to increase the strength of the soil, and stabilize slopes and reduce erosion on slopes. The slope stability calculation using the Bishop slice method. The calculating of safety factor analyzed using the Slope / W application and manually. Soil samples were taken from 3 (three) points and the soil strength parameters,  soil cohesion and friction angle, were obtained through laboratory testing. Tests were carried out using rootless and rooted soil samples. In addition, direct field observations were made to obtain slope angles and slope heights. The results showed that the parameters of soil shear strength, cohesion and friction angle increased with the presence of plant roots. The results of the slope stability analysis show that the conditions of the slope are stable at slope 1 (Km 16) and slope 3 (Km 17) with a safety factor greater than 1.5. While slope 2 (Km 16 +300) has the potential for landslides as a safety factor of less than 1.5. The use of bioengineering increases the safety factor to be greater than 1.5. The calculation of the value of the safety factor using the Slope / W program and the Bishop manual is not much different, but the calculation time with the Slope / W program is faster


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanxi Zhao ◽  
Zhongxian Liu

Soil-rock mixture is a kind of unfavorable geologic material, and it is composed of low-strength soil particles and high-stiffness rock blocks. Mechanical properties of soil-rock mixture were controlled by the internal mesoscopic medium, thus resulting in great difficulties of determination of mechanical parameters. In this paper, influences of rock content, mesoscopic features, and random distribution of mixture in soil-rock mixture on its shear strength were discussed through discrete element numerical simulation of the laboratory triaxial test. Results demonstrated that, with the increase of rock content, the internal friction angle of soil-rock mixture increased continuously, while the cohesion of soil-rock mixture decreased firstly and then increased. The stress-strain curve belonged to a nonlinear hardening type, which was close to soil characteristic. However, the shear strength was affected by mesoscopic medium of mixture particles significantly, resulting in the strong discreteness of strength, and only by large amounts of data statistics can we get a better regularity of strength. The research results can provide references to determine mechanical parameters of soil-rock mixture.


Author(s):  
Xiaoliang Yao ◽  
Lili Fang ◽  
Jilin Qi ◽  
Fan Yu

In this study, freeze-thaw cycles were conducted on samples of a fine grained soil from the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau which had been prepared with different dry unit weights. During freeze-thaw cycles, electrical resistivity was measured. The soil samples were also scanned by X-ray computed tomography (CT) before and after freeze-thaw cycles. Unconsolidated and drained (UD) triaxial compression test was performed to obtain the apparent friction angle and cohesion. Changes in the arrangement and connections between soil particles were analyzed so as to investigate the mechanisms of changes in the strength parameters. The electrical resistivity increased in all samples, regardless of the different original dry unit weights, which implies that in all cases the arrangement of soil particles became more irregular and attached area between soil particles was increased. These changes contributed to the increase of apparent friction angle. On the other hand, the CT scans indicated that, depending upon the original dry unit weight, freeze-thaw cycles induced strengthening or deterioration in particle connections, and thus apparent cohesion was increased or decreased. With three freeze-thaw cycles, changes in microstructure of soil samples led to increases or decrease in both the apparent friction angle and cohesion.


Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1709
Author(s):  
Jiaqi Wang ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Sen Lin ◽  
Yan Han ◽  
Shukai Cheng ◽  
...  

Saline soil is a widely distributed special soil with poor engineering properties. In seasonally frozen regions, the poor properties of saline soil will cause many types of engineering damage such as road boiling, melt sinking, and subgrade instability. These engineering failures are closely related to the shear strength of saline soil. However, there are relatively few studies on saline soil in cold regions. The strength of the soil is always determined by its microstructure; therefore, the study aims to investigate the relationship between the shear strength and microscopic pore structure of saline soil with different freeze–thaw cycles and salinities. The shear strength characteristics of saline soil with different salinities subjected to different freeze–thaw cycles were obtained by triaxial tests. In addition, the microstructure of the soil samples was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests, and the microscopic pore parameters of the soil samples, including porosity (N), average pore diameter (D¯), average shape coefficient (K), surface fluctuation fractal dimension (F), and orienting probability entropy (Hm), were obtained by image processing software quantitatively. Based on the experimental results, the influence of freeze–thaw cycles and salinity on the shear strength characteristics and microstructure of the soil samples were analyzed. Besides that, in order to effectively eliminate the collinearity between independent variables and obtain a stable and reasonable regression model, principal component regression (PCR) analysis was adopted to establish the relationship between the microscopic pore parameters and the failure strength of the soil samples. The fitting results demonstrated that the failure strength of saline soil is mainly related to the size and direction of the pores in the soil, and it has little correlation with pore shape. The failure strength of the soil was negatively correlated with the average pore diameter (D¯) and porosity (N), and it was positively correlated with the orienting probability entropy of the pores (Hm). This study may provide a quantitative basis for explaining the variation mechanism of the mechanical properties of saline soil from a microscopic perspective and provide references for the symmetry between the changes of the macroscopic properties and microscopic pore structure of the saline soil in cold regions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 501-504 ◽  
pp. 403-409
Author(s):  
Xue Han ◽  
Zi Long Zhao ◽  
Zi Rui Gao

In order to study characteristics of soil strength freeze-thaw weakening in the Songhua River Songpu bank,basic physical parameters tests and triaxial compression tests were performed on that paragraph bank .The results showed that: after thawing the sample cohesion will drop substantially, the internal friction angle will increase greatly and soil shear strength will increase significantly; the cohesion of sample after repeated freezing and thawing will significantly decline,internal friction angle of soil will greatly increase,the soil shear strength will increase after the first freezing and thawing,with the increase in the number of freeze-thaw cycles, the soil shear strength will significantly decline. The results can provide Songhua slope stability analysis with a scientific basis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2908
Author(s):  
Zhuo Cheng ◽  
Gaohang Cui ◽  
Zheng Yang ◽  
Haohang Gang ◽  
Zening Gao ◽  
...  

To explore the mechanism of the microstructural change in salinized soil under freeze-thaw cycles and the strength characteristics of subgrade salinized soil improved by fly ash, an unconfined compressive test, a triaxial shear test, and a scanning electron microscopy test were carried out using salinized soil samples with different fly ash contents along the Suihua to Daqing expressway in China. The results showed that after several freeze-thaw cycles, the unconfined compressive strength, triaxial shear strength, cohesion, and internal friction angle of saline soil showed a decreasing trend. With an increase in the fly ash content, the internal friction angle, cohesion, unconfined compressive strength, and shear strength of the improved saline soil first increased and then decreased. When the fly ash content was 15%, the mechanical indexes, such as cohesion and the internal friction angle, reached the maximum value. Microscopic test results showed that the freeze-thaw cycle will lead to an increase in the proportion of pores and cracks, an increase in the average pore size, and a loosening of the soil structure. The addition of fly ash can fill the soil pores, improve the microstructure of the soil, increase the cohesive force of the soil particles, and improve the overall strength of the soil. Fly ash (15%) can be added to subgrade soil in the process of subgrade construction in the Suihua-Daqing expressway area to improve the shear strength and the resistance to freezing and thawing cycles. These research results are conducive to promoting the comprehensive utilization of fly ash, improving the utilization rate of resources, and promoting sustainable development, thus providing a reference for the design and construction of saline soil roadbed engineering in seasonal frozen areas and the development and construction of saline land belts in seasonal and winter areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Liyan Wang ◽  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Hongmei Xie ◽  
Wenwei Ji ◽  
Xiang Huang

Modern coastal cities continue to expand to the sea, but the marine silt foundation has high water content and poor bearing capacity. Therefore, it is necessary to find economical and rapid ways to reduce the water content of the silt and improve the bearing capacity of the silt foundation. The steel slag is considered to be incorporated into silt to effectively reduce the moisture content of soil and improve the bearing capacity of the foundation due to its hard texture and strong water absorption capacity. In this paper, the shear strength characteristics of marine silt modified by steel slag were studied using an automatic triaxial instrument, as well as the relationship between steel slag incorporation and modified silt density. Experimental results showed that the incorporation of steel slag can effectively improve the shear strength of the silt. Besides, the influences of water content, steel slag incorporation, and confining pressure on the stress-strain curve characteristics and failure deviatoric stress of modified silt were also analyzed. The addition of steel slag increases the failure deviatoric stress of the silt. However, the increase of water content will weaken the effect of steel slag incorporation. The shear strength index of improved silt with different steel slag incorporation was compared with that of traditional soil, verifying the feasibility of its application in engineering construction.


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