Freeze-thaw cycles-physical time analogy theory based method for predicting long-term shear strength of frozen soil

Authors

ZHANG Ze, Coordinated Innovation Center for Permafrost Environment and Road Construction and Maintenance in Northeast-China, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150040, China
MA Wei, State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
ROMAN Lidia, Department of Geocryology, Faculty of Geology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
MELNIKOV Andrey, Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Yakutsk, Russia
YANG Xi, Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Chengdu, Sichuan 610051, China
LI Hong-bi, Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Chengdu, Sichuan 610051, China

Abstract

Freezing and thawing processes can change the structure of frozen soil and reduce the mechanical properties, thus affecting the stability of engineering infrastructures built in frozen soil. Due to the different settings of freeze-thaw cycles, a large number of experimental results cannot be effectively compared and analyzed. In addition, estimating the soil mechanical characteristics under freeze-thaw action has also become a research difficulty. In this paper, based on the frozen soil genetic creep theory, a spherical indenter is developed, and a freeze-thaw cycle–physical time analogy method is proposed. Using the number of cycles (numbers of freeze-thaw cycles) and the duration time (physical time–minutes), we can obtain the long-term strength curve family of the frozen soil and mapping the curve family into the same stress space to achieve the normalized strength curve, and thus we can predict the long-term deformation and shear strength. Finally, two soil samples are selected for testing, and the relevant equations for predicting the long-term shear strength are obtained. This method has important theoretical significance for the comparative study on the mechanical behavior of frozen soils under freeze-thaw actions. It also has value for engineering practice and stability analysis of infrastructures built in cold regions.

Graphic Abstract

Recommended Citation

Ze, ZHANG; Wei, MA; Lidia, ROMAN; Andrey, MELNIKOV; Xi, YANG; and Hong-bi, LI (2021) "Freeze-thaw cycles-physical time analogy theory based method for predicting long-term shear strength of frozen soil," Rock and Soil Mechanics: Vol. 42: Iss. 1, Article 4.
DOI: 10.16285/j.rsm.2020.5771
Available at: https://rocksoilmech.researchcommons.org/journal/vol42/iss1/4