Experimental research on the effect of applied potential gradient on frozen loess

Abstract

Due to the existence of an electric double layer in the soil, frozen soil always has a certain amount of unfrozen water. And it will migrate under the action of the electric field. Select a kind of frost heave-sensitive soil (Lanzhou loess) as the object of study, and several bench-scale experiments on frozen Lanzhou loess were performed using 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 V/cm potential gradients. The water content was measured after tests to investigate the relationship between water migration and applied potential gradient. The current was monitored during the experiments to calculate the energy consumption, and to evaluate the usability of electroosmosis in the frozen soil. The amount of water migration increase with the increase of potential gradient and the varied water content with potential gradients can be divided into steady, fluctuation, and incremental stage. The variation of current can reflect the process of water migration to a certain extent and can be divided into two stages, and water migration mainly occurs at the stage of drastic change of current.