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Jan 17, 2024

Constitutive Model for Thermo–Hydro–Mechanical Behaviors of Saturated Partially Frozen Cohesionless Soils: A Theoretical Pore-Scale Study

Authors: Weiling Cai, S.M.ASCE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7946-3547 [email protected], and Cheng Zhu, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5382-1003 [email protected]Author Affiliations
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150, Issue 4
https://doi.org/10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11610
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Abstract

The thermo–hydro–mechanical (THM) behaviors of frozen soils are often modeled based on the thermodynamic fluxes of moisture and heat. However, existing models disregard the pore-scale granular interaction between the soil grain and ice crystal for saturated partially frozen soils. The pore-scale mechanism of pore-filling and load-bearing for the ice phase in the loaded soil skeleton has not been explored. An alternative constitutive model is therefore proposed by considering the microscopic temperature-dependent distribution of the ice phase for pore-filling and load-bearing in the soil interpore. This reflects the influence of the ice phase on the soil stress states and the associated THM behaviors as interpreted based on the critical state framework. The model was validated by published experimental results and considerably captured undrained shearing behaviors of frozen soils at various temperatures and confining pressures. A numerical parametric study was conducted to investigate the dependency of the phase relationship, stress state, undrained shear strength, and soil stiffness on temperature. The modeling suggests that the ice crystals filling in the pore are partially load-bearing to affect the soil stiffness and partially unloaded to alter the stress state. It shows that freezing turns the soil into a heavily consolidated state by increasing the specific volume and decreasing the effective granular void ratio. The undrained shear strength of frozen soils increases with a decrease in temperature because the dilatancy is enhanced due to the ice invasion in the interpore. It also demonstrates that soil stiffness is influenced by not only the stress state but the freezing history. This study highlights the temperature-dependency of mechanical behaviors and the validity of using the concept of stress states to interpret the pore-scale mechanistic soil–water–ice interactions for frozen soils.

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Data Availability Statement

All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by USDOE (United States Department of Education) GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) Program (Grant No. P200A210109) and supported by the Broad Agency Announcement Program and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) under Contract No. W913E523C0007. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Broad Agency Announcement Program and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). The authors would also thank anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments and insightful suggestions.

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Information & Authors

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Published In

Go to Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 150 • Issue 4 • April 2024

Copyright

© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.

History

Received: Jan 4, 2023
Accepted: Nov 3, 2023
Published online: Jan 17, 2024
Published in print: Apr 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jun 17, 2024

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ASCE Technical Topics:

  1. Cohesionless soils
  2. Engineering fundamentals
  3. Engineering materials (by type)
  4. Frozen soils
  5. Geomechanics
  6. Geotechnical engineering
  7. Material mechanics
  8. Material properties
  9. Materials engineering
  10. Measurement (by type)
  11. Porous media
  12. Saturated soils
  13. Shear strength
  14. Soft soils
  15. Soil mechanics
  16. Soil properties
  17. Soil stress
  18. Soils (by type)
  19. Strength of materials
  20. Temperature effects
  21. Temperature measurement

Authors

Affiliations

Weiling Cai, S.M.ASCE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7946-3547 [email protected]
Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rowan Univ., 201 Mullica Hill Rd., Glassboro, NJ 08028. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7946-3547. Email: [email protected]
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Cheng Zhu, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5382-1003 [email protected]
Associate Professor, Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rowan Univ., 201 Mullica Hill Rd., Glassboro, NJ 08028 (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5382-1003. Email: [email protected]
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