Effects of Phase Change Materials on the Freeze–Thaw Performance of Expansive Soil
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 7
Abstract
Freeze–thaw cycles can deteriorate the expansive soil performance. Phase change materials (PCMs) absorb and store heavy latent heat from the environment, which can be utilized to mitigate freeze–thaw deteriorations in expansive soil. In this study, an environmentally friendly paraffin-based PCM was selected, which included two different forms: liquid (pPCM) and microcapsules (mPCM). The volume change, mechanical properties, thermal properties, and microstructure of the improved soil were studied. These results showed that PCMs can release considerable thermal energy during phase transitions, which improves the thermal stability of the soil. The pPCM enhanced the plasticity of soil and prevented brittle failure; mPCM reduced the damage to the soil microstructure caused by freeze–thaw cycles. Macroscopically, it weakened the swell–shrink behavior and limited the degradation of the resilient modulus, unconfined compressive strength, and failure strain of expansive soil. The optimal PCM content was determined based on the mechanical and thermal properties of the improved soil. This study provides a new idea for the engineering treatment of expansive soil in cold regions.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This research was partially funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51879166), the State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering of China (Grant No. SKLFSE201909), and the Department of Transportation of Gansu Province (Grant No. 2017-008).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 7 • July 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 11, 2022
Accepted: Nov 23, 2022
Published online: Apr 29, 2023
Published in print: Jul 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Sep 29, 2023
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