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An experimental study of the relationship between the matric potential, unfrozen water, and segregated ice of saturated freezing soil

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Abstract

Frost heave damage is caused by the in situ freezing of pore water and segregated ice due to moisture migration. Previous studies have shown that in freezing soil, moisture migration is related to the pore water pressure gradient, and moisture migration is the dominant reason for the formation of an ice lens. However, the essential relationship between ice segregation and the matric potential is still controversial. Using a pF meter sensor, a 5TM volume water content sensor, and a digital image capture system, the relationship between the matric potential and the unfrozen water in saturated freezing soil was monitored in real time, and digital images of the formation of segregated ice were collected. Furthermore, the time space coupling relationships between the unfrozen water, the matric potential, the frost-heaving amount, the moisture migration, and the formation of an ice lens were systematically analyzed during soil freezing. The results demonstrate that there is an internal relationship between the moisture migration driven by the matric potential (from the micro-perspective) and the segregated ice layer effect (from the macroscopic perspective). In addition, the unfrozen water and the matric potential in the frozen area have a significant impact on the distribution of the segregated ice lenses.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41672304 and 41701063), the Scientific Research and Innovation Team Project of Sichuan Educational Committee (No. 16TD0006), and the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering (No. SKLFSE201214).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an, 635000, China

    Ke Xue, Zhanyuan Zhu & Fei Luo

  2. State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Ke Xue, Zhi Wen & Dayan Wang

  3. School of civil engineering, Lanzhou Jiao tong University, Lanzhou, 730100, China

    Zhi Wen

  4. School of Civil Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Mingli Zhang

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  1. Ke Xue
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  2. Zhi Wen
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  3. Zhanyuan Zhu
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  4. Dayan Wang
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  5. Fei Luo
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  6. Mingli Zhang
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Correspondence to Ke Xue.

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Xue, K., Wen, Z., Zhu, Z. et al. An experimental study of the relationship between the matric potential, unfrozen water, and segregated ice of saturated freezing soil. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 2535–2544 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02052-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02052-x

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