Methods and exploration for mechanical testing and microscopic testing of loess under freeze-thaw cycles

Abstract

The stability of loess subgrade is affected by many factors. Freeze-thaw cycles are a common factor that causes the strength of loess subgrades to be damaged. In order to study the influence of freezethaw cycles on the stability of loess subgrades, reveal the mechanism of freeze-thaw cycles on the strength of loess subgrades. It is necessary to sample the loess soil samples in this area, and perform compaction test, freeze-thaw cycle test, unconfined compression test and electron microscope scanning test on the soil sample to analyze the influence of freeze-thaw cycle on the strength and microstructure of loess soil. . In this way, the potential relationship between the microstructure and the strength of the soil can be obtained. The results found that the freeze-thaw cycle of loess led to a trend of first increase and then decrease in soil strength. The microstructure showed a trend of smaller soil particles and increased soil voids. The potential relationship between the microstructure and the strength of the soil was analyzed. It explains the conclusion that the strength of the soil first increases and then decreases.

Keywords

• loess
• the freeze-thaw cycle
• mechanical properties
• microstructure