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Tensile behaviors of frozen subgrade soil

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Abstract

A series of radial splitting tests were conducted on frozen subgrade soil to systematically study the effects of sample size, temperatures, ice contents, loading rates, and prefabricated cracks on the tensile deformation and failure behaviors. Based on extensive experimental results including testing data and photos during the whole loading process, a typical splitting load-splitting displacement model for frozen soil was established which can be employed to visually analyze the influencing mechanism for tensile deformation and failure behaviors under various loading conditions. Testing results indicate that the tensile deformation and failure behaviors of frozen samples are strongly affected by ice content, loading rate, and prefabricated cracks. The evaluations of load–displacement curve and crack propagation show diverse property features under different conditions of ice contents and loading rates. The influencing mechanism of the temperatures on the tensile strength behavior of frozen soil is analyzed in detail and the temperature effect on tensile strength is not influenced by loading rates. The crack initiation and propagation in the frozen sample are directly influenced by the prefabricated cracks and show different failure features at various inclination angles and coupling angles. Frozen subgrade soil exhibits obvious rate-dependent failure and deformation behaviors. Furthermore, an empirical formula was proposed to predict the long-term tensile strength of frozen subgrade soil and this formula is capable of giving a good description of the attenuation characteristics of tensile strength as the development of time. This research can provide useful insights into the strength mechanism for frozen subgrade soils.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41630636).

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Mingde Shen, Zhiwei Zhou & Wei Ma

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Mingde Shen, Zhiwei Zhou & Wei Ma

Authors
  1. Mingde Shen
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  2. Zhiwei Zhou
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Correspondence to Wei Ma.

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Shen, M., Zhou, Z. & Ma, W. Tensile behaviors of frozen subgrade soil. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 122 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02616-z

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