Characterizing Volumetric Changes and Cracking of Saline Soil under Freeze-Thaw Cycles

TY - JOUR

T1 - Characterizing Volumetric Changes and Cracking of Saline Soil under Freeze-Thaw Cycles

AU - Hewage, Shaini Aluthgun

AU - Roksana, Kaniz

AU - Zhuo, Zhuang

AU - Tang, Chao Sheng

AU - Zhu, Cheng

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © ASCE.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The freeze-thaw (F-T) behavior of saline soils is critical to transportation and geotechnical infrastructure in the regions subjected to seasonal changes and low-temperature conditions. This study conducts laboratory tests on clayey saline soil to investigate its surface morphology, volumetric evolution, and cracking behaviors under F-T cycles. Soils with different levels of NaCl concentrations [0M (Deionized Water), 1M, 2M, and 3M] are prepared and tested for Freeze-Thaw (F-T) and Wet-Freeze-Thaw-Dry (W-F-T-D) conditions. A high-resolution camera and 3D structured light scanner are placed above the samples to capture their 2D and 3D responses at the end of each cycle. Then the image processing techniques are used for 2D and 3D analysis. The results show that the water evaporation rates decrease with time and the water evaporation rate decreases with the increasing salt concentration due to the decrease in capillary potential and salt crystallization at the surface. Overall, the crack area, length, and fractal dimension decreased with increased NaCl concentration for F-T and W-F-T-D. The 2D analysis showed that crack area, crack length, and fractal dimension increased with cycle number for F-T cycles. The 3D analysis results showed that sample volume reduced over time, but the surface area and fractal dimension increased with continuous F-T cycles. The W-F-T-D samples showed that all the parameters were relatively closer to each other at individual salt concentrations except for the volume change. This can be attributed to the wetting and re-freezing, which bring the soil sample closer to the original intact soil sample.

AB - The freeze-thaw (F-T) behavior of saline soils is critical to transportation and geotechnical infrastructure in the regions subjected to seasonal changes and low-temperature conditions. This study conducts laboratory tests on clayey saline soil to investigate its surface morphology, volumetric evolution, and cracking behaviors under F-T cycles. Soils with different levels of NaCl concentrations [0M (Deionized Water), 1M, 2M, and 3M] are prepared and tested for Freeze-Thaw (F-T) and Wet-Freeze-Thaw-Dry (W-F-T-D) conditions. A high-resolution camera and 3D structured light scanner are placed above the samples to capture their 2D and 3D responses at the end of each cycle. Then the image processing techniques are used for 2D and 3D analysis. The results show that the water evaporation rates decrease with time and the water evaporation rate decreases with the increasing salt concentration due to the decrease in capillary potential and salt crystallization at the surface. Overall, the crack area, length, and fractal dimension decreased with increased NaCl concentration for F-T and W-F-T-D. The 2D analysis showed that crack area, crack length, and fractal dimension increased with cycle number for F-T cycles. The 3D analysis results showed that sample volume reduced over time, but the surface area and fractal dimension increased with continuous F-T cycles. The W-F-T-D samples showed that all the parameters were relatively closer to each other at individual salt concentrations except for the volume change. This can be attributed to the wetting and re-freezing, which bring the soil sample closer to the original intact soil sample.

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U2 - 10.1061/9780784484708.056

DO - 10.1061/9780784484708.056

M3 - Conference article

SN - 0895-0563

VL - 2023-March

SP - 592

EP - 602

JO - Geotechnical Special Publication

JF - Geotechnical Special Publication

IS - GSP 343

T2 - 2023 Geo-Congress: Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions from the Ground Up - Geotechnical Systems from Pore-Scale to City-Scale

Y2 - 26 March 2023 through 29 March 2023

ER -