Effect of water content on the mechanical properties of artificially frozen red clay

Abstract

In the construction of artificial freezing methods, the strength and deformation characteristics of frozen soil are crucial to the stability of frozen walls. To investigate the effect of different water contents on the strength and creep of the soil under freezing action after specimen preparation, the specimen was kept in an incubator for 24 hours, and the influence of moisture content on the strength and creep characteristics of Jiangxi red clay was studied by freezing triaxial tests at -10℃. The results show that the compressive strength of frozen red clay first increases and then decreases with increasing water content in the range of 16%-32%. In the range of 16%-28% water content, the cohesion increases and the internal friction angle decreases with increasing water content.The creep curves under confining pressures of 0.2 MPa and 0.5 MPa show that the red clay with a low water content only has a decay creep stage and stable creep.The results can be used as a reference for the artificial freezing method in the construction of subway tunnels in the red clay stratum in Jiangxi Province.

Keywords

• freezing method
• red clay
• moisture content
• triaxial test
• mechanical characteristics