A model for freeze-thaw-induced plastic volume changes in saturated clays

Abstract

Abstract A new model is proposed for describing freeze-thaw-induced plastic volume changes in saturated clays based on microscopic inhomogeneities inherent in the soil structure and the pore water transfer between them. It is shown through a simple inhomogeneous mesostructure model that the equilibrium state reached after freezing serves as an important reference state for interpreting the volumetric behaviour. The soil state evolution towards this freeze equilibrium state describes many features seen in the experimentally observed freeze-thaw behaviour, such as the existence of a limiting stress level above which no plastic volume change occurs. The process of freezing/thawing is modelled as a rate process approaching the freeze equilibrium line (FEL) and representing the eventual equilibrium states at a particular sub-freezing temperature, exploiting a newly defined state parameter, ψfe. The model offers a mesoscopic three-dimensional yield surface in the specific volume – effective stress – temperature space, expressed by a simple equation. Although the model’s essence is encapsulated in only two simple equations, it can simulate well the experimentally observed volume change accumulation with freeze-thaw cycles under different stress levels and densities (or over-consolidation ratios). As the model is formulated in an incremental rate form, it can be applied to general freeze-thaw problems, even those with irregular temperature and stress history – a feature not seen in existing models.