by E.p.

Shusheri na
A.A. Zharov
M. I . Zbolotskaya
A.D. Per el ' mi t er and
T.S. Momotova
THE ADFREEZE STRENGTH OF SANDY AND CLAYEY SOILS DURI NG THE BREAKAWAY
Most of t he d a t a a va i l a bl e on t he adf r eeze s t r e ngt h of s o i l s have been
obt ai ned dur i ng t h e di spl acement of f r ozen s o i l a c r os s t h e adf r eezi ng
i n t e r f a c e between t h e s o i l and t he ( cons t r uct i on) mat er i al . To s ol ve some
of t h e problems encount ered i n engi neer i ng pr a c t i c e (e.g. t r a ns por t of s o i l s
dur i ng t he wi nt er , di s t ur bance of f r ozen s o i l s f o r cons t r uct i on o r mining
purposes, eval uat i on of t h e r e s i s t a nc e of pi pe l i ne s t o f r o s t heavi ng, et c. )
we must, however, know t he adf r eeze s t r e ngt h c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of s o i l s and
i c e wi t h mat er i al s , not onl y dur i ng t h e i r di spl acement , but a l s o dur i ng
t h e i r s epar at i on a St udi es performed under t he s e condi t i ons and
~. c {'
reviewed i n [ l ] a r e , owever, few and fragment ary.
I n t h i s paper we consi der t he r e s u l t s from experi ment al s t u d i e s on
adf r eeze s t r e ngt h, a of sandy and cl ayey s o i l s wi t h a met al , under
condi t i ons of breaka&ySover t h e temperaure range of 0 t o -lOC. These
t e s t s were c a r r i e d out i n t he Department of Permafrost St udi es a t t he Moscow
S t a t e Uni ver s i t y i n 1978-1979. The s t u d i e s were accompanied by
i nve s t i ga t i ons of t he t e n s i l e s t r e ngt h a of f r ozen s o i l s , s i n c e t he
magnitude a
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i s det ermi ned not onl y by t he s t r e n g t h of t he bond between
t he f r ozen g6PY and t h e mat er i al , but a l s o by t he r e s i s t a nc e of t h e cont act
l a ye r of t h e f r ozen s o i l . The composi t i on and s t r u c t u r e of t he specimens,
t h e p a t t e r n of t h e i r di s i nt e gr a t i on, and t h e roughness of t he s ur f a c e of t h e
( cons t r uct i on) mat er i al were a l s o eval uat ed.
The d a t a on a .c and a were anal ysed on t h e ba s i s of pos t ul a t e s of
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physi cochemi cal meghagics of di s per s e systems.
Cha r a c t e r i s t i c s of t he specimens, experi ment al condi t i ons and methods.
The t e s t s were c a r r i e d out a t -0.5, -2, -5 and -10'C wi t h two t ypes of s o i l s
w d l y d i s t r i b u t e d i n t he nor t h of Western Si ber i a, namely, an a l l u v i a l sand
1-2
QIT
, and a t echnogeni c c l a y loam t QI V. The samples were t aken from t he
s ur f ace hor i zons (0.03-0.35mm). Cha r a c t e r i s t i c s of t hes e s o i l s a r e gi ven i n
[ I ] .
The cl ay loam is s i l t y and t he sand is medium-grained. The s o i l s a r e
not s a l i n e and cont ai n l a r g e q u a n t i t i e s of pl a nt remains. Mont mori l l oni t e
is t he dominant component of t he c l a y f r a c t i o n i n t he loam. The d a t a on t he
unfrozen wat er cont ent WH (det ermi ned by c a l or i me t r i c method a t t he
Fundamentproekt under t h e s uper vi s i on of Bor ozi net s) , and on t he time of i t s
l a t e r a l r e l a xa t i on T [det ermi ned wi t h t he us e of t he nucl ear - magnet i c
resonance t echni que &MR) by Golovanova under t h e s uper vi s i on of Anany an]
a r e gi ven f o r t he cl ay loam and sand i n Fi gur e 1.
The samples were prepared us i ng di s t ur bed s o i l s , and cor r ugat ed met al
wi t hout p l a t i n g ( s t e e l ) . The roughness of t h e met al s ur f ace was
char act er i zed by t he magnitude of t he average a r t i hme t i c devi at i on of t h e
p r o f i l e Ra = 3.7-10.3 pm. The i n i t i a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e s o i l specimens
were: porosi t y-n3 and t h e degree of s a t u r a t i o n wi t h moisture-G3. The
correspondi ng val ues of moi st ur e cont ent W3, and dens i t y y3, t h a t were used
d i r e c t l y i n t h e pr epar at i on of t h e specimens, were cal cul at ed on t h e b a s i s
of t he s e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , accor di ng t o t h e formul as provi ded i n [ I ] .
Sel ect ed val ues of n3, G W and y3 and de s c r i pt i on of t h e pr epar at i on of
t h e specimens a r e gi ven % 711.
The t e n s i l e s t r e ngt h of t h e f r ozen s o i l specimens and t h e breakaway
adf r eeze s t r e ngt h between t h e s o i l and t h e ma t e r i a l s were det ermi ned wi t h
t h e hel p of a s p e c i a l appar at us const r uct ed a t t h e Department of Permafrost
St udi es of t h e Moscow S t a t e Uni ver s i t y and des cr i bed i n [A]. The tests were
r epeat ed t hr e e t i m e s wi t h a r api d (3-5 t o 10-20s.) uni form l oadi ng t o
f a i l u r e t o det ermi ne "i nst ant aneous" st r engh.
Af t er t h e tests t h e s ur f aces of t h e met al and of t h e f r ozen s o i l were
observed, t h e d i f f e r e n t i a l moi st ur e cont ent of t h e s o i l was det ermi ned, and
i t s mi cr of abr i c ( a t -So and - l O C) wa s s t udi ed by t h e method of r e p l i c a
c a s t i ng [ 2] from t h e s ur f a c e of f a i l u r e of t h e f r ozen s o i l and from t h e
s hear s ur f ace per pendi cul ar t o f i t .
Res ul t s of t h e tests. A l l t h e specimens exhi bi t ed a massi ve cryogeni c
s o i l s t r u c t u r e . No i ce f or mat i on was observed wi t h t h e naked eye i n any of
t h e specimens i nt ended f o r det er mi nat i ons of a , a t t h e i n t e r f a c e
P.C#.
between t h e f r ozen s o i l and t h e met al . On t he o t e r and r e d i s t r i b u t i o n of
moi st ur e i n t h e s o i l as a r e s u l t of f r e e z i ng was observed i n many of t he s e
specimens and var i ed i n char act er [ I ] .
The mi cr of abr i c of t h e f r ozen s o i l specimens w a s anal ysed a f t e r t h e
det er mi nat i on of t h e i r t e n s i l e s t r e ngt h a and breakaway adf r eeze s t r e ngt h
t o t h e met al , a .c ., and t h i s proved t o ge dependent on t h e ki nd of t h e
tests as w e l l a; ok t h e t ype of t h e s o i l .
Af t er t h e det er mi nat i on of a t h e f r ozen sand specimens had a ba s a l
cr yogeni c mi cr os t r uct ur e wi t h i ndf vi dual s o i l p a r t i c l e s s epar at ed by i ce.
The d i s t r i b u t i o n of t he i c e and s o i l s kel et on p a r t i c l e s w a s us ua l l y uniform.
Thi s t ype of mi cr os t r uct ur e was observed a t bot h t emper at ur es (-5O and
- l OC) a t t h e f a i l u r e s ur f ace, a s w e l l as a t t h e v e r t i c a l s hear s ur f ace. I n
some cas es i c e predominated a t t h e r upt ur e s ur f ace. A s i mi l a r mi cr of abr i c
was observed i n t h e sand specimens a f t e r t he det er mi nat i on of a . It
P.CP*
was not ed t h a t t h e i c e cont ent of t he breakaway s ur f ace was somewhat
gr eat er .
Af t er t h e det er mi nat i on of u at -SC t h e f r ozen c l a y loam specimens
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had a por phyr i t i c cr yogeni c mi cr os t r uct ur e bot h a t t h e f a i l u r e s ur f a c e and
a t t h e v e r t i c a l s hear s ur f ace. Disseminated mi croscopi c s phe r i c a l i s omet r i c
i c e p a r t i c l e s measuring 0.2 t o 0.05 mm, were uni forml y d i s t r i b u t e d i n t h e
s o i l . I s ol a t e d a r e a s wi t h a ba s a l mi cr ot ext ur e, i n which s o i l aggr egat es
were s epar at ed by i c e , were a l s o observed. Si ngl e i n t e r l a y e r s of
seggregat ed i c e were det ect ed i n t h e per i pher y of t h e specimens. So i l
aggr egat es were i s omet r i c, el ongat ed o r i r r e g u l a r l y shpaed, and measured
0.3 x 0.4; 0.4 x 0.2; 0.8 x 0.2; o r 0.1 x 0.1 mm. The aggr egat es measuri ng
less t han 0.1 mm were l e s s compact and had uneven si nuous out l i ne s , but t h e
l a r g e r aggr egat es had c l e a r l y def i ned cont our s and f a i r l y even boundari es.
A t -lOC t h e c l a y loam specimens exhbi t i ed a ba s a l mi cr os t r uct ur e a t t h e
breakaway s ur f ace. So i l aggr egat es of t he same s i z e and conf i gur at i on were
compact and had b e t t e r def i ned out l i ne s . Areas wi t h por phyr i t i c o r ba s a l
cryogeni c mi cr os t r uct ur es were d i s t r i b u t e d more uni forml y over t he v e r t i c a l
s hear s ur f ace.
The mi cr of abr i c of t he f r ozen c l a y loam specimens on t he breakaway and
v e r t i c a l s hear s ur f aces di spl ayed uni forml y d i s t r i b u t e d a r e a s wi t h
por phyr i t i c o r bas al mi cr os t r uct ur es . Small i s o l a t e d i n t e r l a y e r s of
segr egat ed i c e were observed i n t h e zone of cont act of t he s o i l wi t h t h e
metal. So i l aggr egat es var i ed i n conf i gur at i on ( i s omet r i c, el ongat ed o r
i r r e g u l a r l y shaped) and s i z e (0.4 t o 0.1 mm) and had c l e a r l y def i ned
o u t l i n e s and f a i r l y even boundari es. A t - l OC t he breakaway s ur f ace of t h e
c l a y loam specimens was r i c h e r i n i c e and exhi bi t ed a bas al mi cr os t r uct ur e.
I n i s o l a t e d i ns t ance al most cont i nuous i c e f i l ms were observed. The s o i l
aggr egat es were more compact and had b e t t e r def i ned o u t l i n e s t han a t -5OC,
i . e. t he d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n of i c e and s o i l wa s more pronounced. The s i z e and
shape of t he aggr egat es remained, however, unchanged.
The p a t t e r n of i c e d i s t r i b u t i o n i n t h e s o i l var i ed a t t h e v e r t i c a l
s ur f ace. I n t h e cont act a r e a between t h e s o i l and t h e met al a 1-1.5
cent i met r e- t hi ck hori zon wi t h a l ayer ed cryogeni c mi cr os t r uct ur e was
not i ced. I c e i n t e r l a y e r s up t o 0.2 mm i n t hi cknes s and up t o 1.7 mm i n
l engt h, wi t hout any s o i l p a r t i c l e s were observed. The mi ddl e por t i on of t he
specimens had a por phyr i t i c mi cr ost r uct ur e. I c e i n s e t s had a s phe r i c a l
i s omet r i c shape and measured 0.3-0.1 mm. I s ol a t e d t h i n vei ns of segr egat ed
i c e measuring l e s s t han 0.1 mm i n t hi cknes s were a l s o seen. Por phyr i t i c I c e
wa s d i s t r i b u t e d uni forml y.
The macroscopic des cr i pt i on of t he met al and f r ozen s o i l s ur f a c e i n
di s t ur bed specimens shows t h a t t h e specimens d i s i n t e g r a t e dur i ng t he
s epar at i on of t he f r ozen s o i l from t he met al i n a v a r i e t y of ways depending
pr i mar i l y on t h e i r moi st ur e cont ent ( t a b l e ) [ l ] .
Af t er t he det er mi nat i on of t he t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h t h e f a i l u r e s ur f ace of
t he f r ozen s o i l s i s always uneven.
The d a t a on t he magnitudes u and u
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of f r ozen s o i l s a r e anal ysed
on t he ba s i s of fundamental propositionsP6?b~hysicohemical mechanics of
di s per s e syst ems and of modern not i ons of t h e s t r e n g t h of f r ozen and
unfrozen snady and cl ayey s o i l s [3-51. According t o t hes e t he main f a c t o r s
det ermi ni ng t h e mechani cal s t r e ngt h of f r ozen s o i l s a r e 1) t h e s t r e n g t h of
t h e i r s t r u c t u r a l bonds, i . e. t he f or ces of i n t e r a c t i o n of t he s t r u c t u r a l
el ement s of f r ozen s o i l s ( p a r t i c l e s of t h e s o i l s kel et on, i c e c r y s t a l s and
t h e i r aggr egat es ) , 2) t h e s t r e ngt h of t he c r y s t a l l a t t i c e , and 3) t he
pr esence of def ect s .
The s t r e n g t h of t he s t r u c t u r a l bonds devel opi ng a t t he cont act s of
d i f f e r e n t s t r u c t u r a l el ement s ( a t t he poi nt s where t hey a r e c l o s e s t t o one
anot her ) i s det ermi ned by t he number ( per u n i t volume) and char act er ( ar ea
and s t r engt h) of t hes e cont act s . Frozen s o i l s have a t l e a s t t he f ol l owi ng
cont act s : between t h e p a r t i c l e s of t he s o i l s kel et on and t he i c e c r ys t a l s .
When t h e s o i l adf r eezes t o t h e met al , cont act s a r e formed between t h e i c e
and t he met al a s w e l l as between t he s o l s kel et on p a r t i c l e s and t he met al .
A l l t he s e cont act s may be e s t a bl i s he d d i r e c t l y ( poi nt o r phase cont act s
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accordi ng t o Rebi nder) o r t hrough a f i l m of unfrozen wat er ( coagul at i on
cont act s ) [SI.
The s t r e ngt h of t he cont act s between t h e c r y s t a l s of i c e and t h e
s t r e n g t h of i t s c r y s t a l l a t t i c e det ermi ne t he s t r e n g t h of t h e i c e i ncl us i ons
embedded i n t h e f r ozen s o i l ( por e i c e o r t h e i c e formi ng t h e s t r u c t u r a l i c e
framework). The s t r u c t u r a l bonds formed by t h e pr esence of i c e i ncl us i ons
and by t h e i r cont act s wi t h t he s o i l s kel et on p a r t i c l e s , have been s e t a p a r t
a s a s p e c i a l "ice-cement" t ype of s t r u c t u r a l bonds.
The most i n t e r e s t i n g r e s u l t s of t h e mechanical t e s t s performed wi t h
f r ozen s o i l specimens ( s e e t he t a b l e and t h e drawi ng) a r e t h e d a t a on t h e
s t r e ngt h c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , ap and a a s f unct i ons of t emperat ure,
P. C!.
moi st ur e cont ent and degree of di s pe r i on.
Comparison of a and a shows t h a t , a l l t he ot he r condi t i ons ( s o i l
P=Cl+.
t ype, t emperat ure, mois u r e cont ent and dens i t y) bei ng equal , t h e t e n s i l e
s t r e ngt h of f r ozen s o i l s i s us ua l l y much g r e a t e r t han t h e i r adf r eeze
s t r e ngt h t o t h e met al dur i ng t h e breakaway ( a
) ap. ~p. . Given t h e
char act er of d i s i n t e g r a t i o n of t h e specimens , ' t hi s shows t h a t t h e s t r u c t u r a l
bonds at t he f a i l u r e s ur f ace of t he f r ozen s o i l a r e s t r onger t han a t i t s
adf r eeze s ur f a c e t o t h e met al , where t he s e bonds a r e det ermi ned by t h e
s t r e ngt h of t he i ce- met al and s o i l s kel et on par t i cl es - met al cont act s .
The da t a obt ai ned show t h a t t h e t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h of f r ozen e a r t h
mat er i al s and t h e i r adf r eeze s t r e ngt h t o t h e met al var y wi t h di s per s i on,
t emperat ure and moi st ur e cont ent .
The e f f e c t of t he degree of di s per s i on. A t a t emperat ure of -0.5, -3
o r - 5 - B of c l a y loam, but a t 8 = -lOC
t h e s t r e ngt h gf sand drops-bel ow t h a t of loam. The cur ves de pi c t i ng a a s a
f unct i on of 8 i n t e r s e c t around -gC. Thi s dependence of t h e t e n s i l e
P
s t r e ngt h of f r ozen s o i l s on t h e degree of t h e i r di s per s i on over t h e
t emperat ure range examined, a s wel l a s at lower t emperat ure val ues (-10 t o
-60C [ 7 ] ) , can be expl ai ned i n terms of t h e d i s t i n c t i v e nat ur e of s t r e ngt h
of sand and cl ayey s o i l s .
I n f r ozen sand t h e val ues of a are det ermi ned mainly by t he ice-cement
cohesi on (ICC) wi t h t h e i n t e r p a r t i c l e bonds of t h e s o i l s kel et on pl ayi ng a
minor r ol e. The f a c t t h a t t h e val ue of a i n sand i s l a r g e r t han t h a t i n
P
c l a y loam a t -0.5, -2 and -5' may be due pr i mar i l y t o i t s g r e a t e r I CC due t o
t h e i c e i ncl us i ons and because of t he bonds between t h e i c e and s o i l
s kel et on p a r t i c l e s . The di f f er ence i n t he amount of unfrozen wat er a t t h e
above t emperat ures (WH = 0.0 15-0.02 i n sand and WH = 0.13-0.18 i n loam)
account s f o r t h e g r e a t e r s t r e ngt h of t h e i ce- skel et on bonds i n sand. Thi s ,
combined wi t h t h e development of t h e bas al t ype of ice-cement i n sand,
causes t h e f a i l u r e of t h e i c e i ncl us i ons i n i t . On t h e ot he r hand i n loam,
where t he s t r e n g t h of t he i ce- s oi l s kel et on bonds i s s mal l er , bas al a s wel l
as por phyr i t i c ice-cement e x i s t , and t h e r o l e of i c e i ncl us i ons and of I CC
i n devel opi ng t h e t e n s i l e s t r e ngt h i s gener al l y l e s s i mpor t ant , i n s p i t e of
t h e f a c t t h a t loam has a g r e a t e r i c e cont ent t han sand ( s ee t h e drawing).
The f a i l u r e s ur f ace may devel op i n f r ozen loam over t h e weakest l o c i
avoi di ng t h e i c e i ncl us i ons . The cont act s between t h e p a r t i c l e s of t h e s o i l
s kel et on may be among such a r e a s , a s a r e def ect ( cr acks o r voi ds ) and
i c e - s oi l s kel et on cont act s . With decr eas e of t emperat ure t h e s t r e n g t h of
t he bonds between t h e p a r t i c l e s of t h e s o i l s kel et on i ncr eas es ( a s does i t s
ICC). The p a r t i c l e s move c l o s e r t o one anot her as a r e s u l t of deformat i ons
devel opi ng i n t h e f r ozen s o i l due t o t emper at ur e- r el at ed cont r act i on, as
wel l a s due t o t h e decr ease i n t h e moi st ur e cont ent on account of unfrozen
wat er and i t s i ncr eas i ng vi s c os i t y ( s ee d a t a on T2 i n t h e drawi ng). The
s t r u c t u r a l i n t e r p a r t i c l e bonds i n t h e s o i l s kel et on of c l a y loam f o r 8 above
-9OC do not , however, compensate f o r t h e f a c t t h a t i t s I C C i s lower t han
t h a t of sand, even though t h e I CC of loam a l s o i ncr eas es wi t h decr eas e i n
t emperat ure. A s t h e t emperat ure drops below -gC, t h e s t r e n g t h of t he
i n t e r p a r t i c l e bonds of t he s kel et on and p a r t l y i t s I C C cont i nue t o i ncr eas e
i n loam, which account s f o r i t s g r e a t e r t e n s i l e s t r e ngt h r e l a t i v e t o t h a t of
sand.
It shoul d be not ed t h a t accor di ng t o t he da t a of ot he r aut hor s (e. g.
[ 6 ] ) , wi t hi n t h e range of 0 t o - 1 0 ' ~ c l a y s o i l s have a g r e a t e r s t r e ngt h t han
sand. Thi s may be due t o t h e s p e c i f i c nat ur e of t h e sand specimens s t udi ed
by t hee s p e c i a l i s t s , p a r t i c u l a r l y t o t h e f a c t t h a t t h e i r degree of
s a t u r a t i o n was lower t han i n our t e s t s .
Comparison of sand and loam wi t h r egar d t o t h e i r breakaway adf r eeze
s t r e ngt h t o t h e met al shows a c l e a r c u t dependence of t h e magnitude a
on di s per s i on. Thi s i s cont r ar y t o obser vat i ons from some of t h e e a r I i %*
t e s t s t h a t were c a r r i e d out a t t h e same t emperat ures under condi t i ons of
s he a r acr os s t h e s ur f a c e of t h e met al , and, t o a s i g n i f i c a n t e xt e nt i t may
be due t o t h e absence of a v i s i b l e f i l m of i c e a t t he f r ozen s o i l - me t a l
i n t e r f a c e i n our t e s t s . Sand has a much g r e a t e r a t han loam a t a l l t h e
t emperat ures i n t h e range -0.5 t o - l OC. ~or eover S) ' %i di f f e r e nc e be tween
them i ncr eas es wi t h decr ease i n t emperat ure.
The e f f e c t of di s per s i on on t h e magnitude of a .c i n f r ozen s o i l s may
be expl ai ned from t h e f a i l u r e pa t t e n of t h e i r speci &nkm ( al ong t h e f r ozen
s o i l - me t a l cont act and wi t hi n t h e f r ozen s o i l ) , by t h e c o r r e l a t i o n of t h e
r es pect i ve t e n s i l e s t r e ngt hs a of t h e f r ozen s o i l s s t udi ed (sand and loam),
P
and from t h e s t r e n g t h of t h e i r adf r eeze bond wi t h t h e met al . As was shown
e a r l i e r , sand has a g r e a t e r a t han loam (up t o 8 = -gC). Presumably t he
P
bond between f r ozen sand and metal i s a l s o s t r onge r t han t h a t between f r ozen
loam and met al . Thi s i s due mainly t o t he g r e a t e r i c e cont ent i n t h e loam
specimens and t o t h e i r pr opor t i onal l y s t r onger ice-metal bond ( accor di ng t o
t he da t a of "r api d" det er mi nat i ons of t h e adf r eeze s t r e n g t h i n s hear , i t i s
=c
f o r f r ozen s o i l s and T f o r i c e [ I ] , wi t h z
' T~CL. r . 1, as
ueYiC:; t o t h e s mal l er s t r e n g t F p ~ f * s t r u c t u r a l bonds bet %grt he loam
s kel et on p a r t i c l e s and met al . It shoul d be kept i n mind t h a t t h e loam
specimens had a n i ncr eas ed i c e cont ent i n t h e cont act l ayer , a s shown by t h e
t o t a l moi st ure cont ent and mi cr of abr i c. Due t o t h i s t he magnitude of a i n
t he cont act l a ye r of f r ozen s o i l i s f u r t h e r reduced f o r loam, and t h e
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s t r e ngt h of t h e f r ozen s oi l - me t a l cont act i s a l s o s mal l er t han t h a t f o r
sand, which account s f o r t h e aforementioned a .cp. c or r e l a t i on f o r sand and
loam p e r s i s t i n g not onl y t o -gC, but even befow t h a t t emperat ure.
The e f f e c t of t emperat ure. As 8 drops from -0.5 t o - l O C, t h e t e n s i l e
s t r e ngt h a, of f r ozen s o i l s and t h e i r ad r eeze s t r e ngt h wi t h t h e met al
.cp.
- i ncf eas e appr eci abl y ( s ee t h e drawing and t h e t a bl e ) . The nat ur e of
tgat dependence i s d i f f e r e n t , however, f o r sand and loam and f o r a and
u . Thi s i s c l e a r l y i l l u s t r a t e d by t he equat i ons des cr i bi ng up and
Pocp* a s f unct i ons of t emperat ure 8. or loam:
P
ap .cp.
For sand:
Equat i ons ( I ) , ( 2) and ( 4) des cr i be t h e dependence over t he e n t i r e
t emperat ure range examined (-0.5 t o -lOC); equat i on (3) i s gi ven f o r t h e
-0.5 t o -5'C i n t e r v a l of 8 val ues , and equat i on ( 3 ' ) f o r t he 5 t o - l O C
i nt e r va l . 8 is t h e abs ol ut e val ue.
Wi t hi n t he -5 t o - l O C range t he dependence of a on 8 i s c l os e t o
l i n e a r f o r loam, but non-l i near f o r sand: t he val ue 8f a i ncr eas es wi t h
decr ease i n 8, but t he rate of i ncr eas e decreases. [ s ee f he drawing and
equat i ons ( I ) , ( 3) and ( 3' ) . ] Within t h e 0.5 t o -2OC i n t e r v a l t h e t e n s i l e
s t r e ngt h of sand ( a ) i ncr eas es much more r api dl y t han t h a t of loam; a s 8
drop from -2 t o -508, t h e r a t e of t h e i ncr eas e of a val ues i s roughl y t he
same i n sand and loam. Within t h e -5 t o - l OC i nt egval t he a val ues of
loam cont i nue t o i ncr eas e a s t emperat ure drops wi t h t he same pat e of
i ncr eas e as at hi gher t emperat ures, whereas i n sand a remains p r a c t i c a l l y
cons t ant .
P
Comparison of t he a -8 curves obt ai ned f o r sand and loam wi t h similar
P
curves f o r i c e [ 6 ] shows t h a t t h e dependence of a on 8 gener al l y mani f est s
i t s e l f much more s t r ongl y i n f r ozen s o i l s , a s i s El so t he cas e a t lower 8
val ues [ 7] . Thi s proves t h a t i n addi t i on t o t h e s t r e n g t h of i c e , t h e r e a r e
ot her f a c t o r s r es pons i bl e f o r t he f a c t t h a t a of f r ozen s o i l s i s a f unct i on
P
of 8, i ncl udi ng, a s i s w e l l known, phase t r a n s i t i o n s of wat er. The
di f f e r e ne s i n t h e shape of a -8 curves f o r sand and loam r e f l e c t t h e
P
di f f e r e nc e s i n t h e mechanism of temperature-dependent v a r i a t i o n s i n a of
t hes e s o i l s .
P
As was mentioned e a r l i e r , a f o r sand i s det ermi ned mainly from t h e
P
magnitude of I CC. The hi gh r a t e of i ncr eas e of t he a val ues wi t h decr ease
i n t emperat ure from -0.5 t o -2OC i s r e l a t e d t o t he i ngr eas e i n I CC caused by
t h e hardeni ng of i c e a s wel l t o t he i ncr eas i ng s t r e n g t h of s t r u c t u r a l bonds
between t h e i c e and t h e s o i l s kel et on p a r t i c l e s a s a r e s u l t of t he
i ncr eas i ng a r e a and s t r e ngt h of t h e i r cont act s . The lower rate of i ncr eas e
of a i n f r ozen sand wi t h a drop i n t emperat ure from -2 t o -5'C may be
r e l a t e d t o t h e l oweri ng of i t s I CC. The f a c t t h a t a of sand remains
0
p r a c t i c a l l y cons t ant wi t h a drop i n 8 from -5 t o -10 C and f u r t h e r decr ease
of I CC can probabl y a l s o be a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e i ncr eas i ng r o l e of de f e c t s i n
f r ozen sand on account of i t s i ncr eas i ng s t i f f n e s s ( r i g i d i t y ) t h a t l eads t o
a l a r g e r s t r e s s concent r at i ons.
For loam t he val ue of a is cont r ol l ed not onl y by I CC, but a l s o by t h e
P
s t r e n g t h of i n t e r p a r t i c l e bonds of t h e s o i l s kel et on, which i ncr eas es wi t h
decr ease i n t emperat ure. The less r api d i ncr eas e of a i n loam over t h e
P
-0.5 t o -2OC i n t e r v a l r e l a t i v e t o t h a t of sand may be due t o i t s much
g r e a t e r cont ent of unfrozen wat er. The unfrozen wat er impedes t o a c e r t a i n
e xt e nt t he work of t h e ice i ncl us i ons ( a s was mentioned e a r l i e r , t he f a i l u r e
s ur f ace can s k i r t around t he s e i ncl us i ons ) and reduces t h e s t r e n g t h of
i n t e r p a r t i c l e bonds of t he s o i l s kel et on and of t h e skel et on- i ce bonds. The
f a c t t h a t t h e t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h ( a ) i ncr eaes i n loam over t h e i n t e r v a l of -2
P
t o -lOC, a s r api dl y a s a t hi gher 8 val ues, i n s p i t e of t h e negl i gi bl y s mal l
and de c l i ni ng phase t r a n s i t i o n s of wat er and i nc r e a s i ng s t r e n g t h of i c e , i s
l a r ge l y due t o t h e a ) i ncr eas i ng s t r e ngt h of t he bonds between t h e p a r t i c l e s
of t h e s o i l s kel et on on account of t h e f i l m of unfrozen wat er bei ng f or ced
out of t h e i n t e r p a r t i c l e cont act s by t he devel opi ng t hermal stresses, and b)
t h e i ncr eas i ng v i s c o s i t y of unfrozen wat er ( s e e t h e drawing).
I n t h e s o i l s s t udi ed t he dependence of t h e adf r eeze s t r e n g t h t o t he
met al a on t emperat ure 8 i s non-linear: a s t h e t emper at ur e drops from
-0.5 t oP1f bs~, a i ncr eas es less r apdi l y. [See t h e drawing and
equat i ons ( 2) an!'fgf.] I n conformi t y wi t h t h e char act er of f a i l u r e
( di s i nt e gr a t i on) of t h e specimens, t he shape of t h e curves obt ai ned f o r t h e
dependence of a .cpq on 8 can be expl ai ned by t h e s t r e nght of t h e f r ozen
s o i l ( i n t h e cogt act l a y e r ) and by i t s cont act wi t h t h e met al .
With decr eas e i n t emperat ure over t he -0.5 t o - l O C range t he val ues of
a i nc r e a s e i n loam less r api dl y t han t hose of a which may due
P*CP* P '
pr i mar i l y be t o t h e f a c t t h a t t he s t r e n g t h of t h e f r ozen l oam-met al bond
i ncr eas es less r a pi dl y t han a . Moreover, i t shoul d be kept i n mind t h a t
t h e moi st ur e cont ent of c l a y foam i n t h e cont act a r e a i nc r e a s e s , a s was
mentioned e a r l i e r , r e l a t i v e t o i t s i n i t i a l condi t i on p r i o r t o f r eezi ng.
Thi s ci rcumst ance reduces t h e i n t e n s i t y of t h e temperature-dependent
i ncr eas e i n t he t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h of t h e cont act l a y e r and i n t h e s t r e ngt h of
t h e f r ozen l oanr met al bond, and l owers accor di ngl y t h e o v e r a l l o f o r
loam.
P*CP-
I n sand a less i nt e ns i ve i ncr eas e of a r e l a t i v e t o t h a t of a has
P
been observed onl y i n t h e i n t e r v a l of -0.5 ? G ~ E ~ ~ c and can be a t t r i b u t e d t o
t h e same f a c t o r s a s i n t h e cas e of loam. With f u r t h e r t emperat ure
depr essi on from -2 t o -lOC apeCp. of sand i ncr es es more r a pi dl y t han i t s
u which appears t o be t o t h e nat ur e of t h e r e l a t i ons hi p between a and 8
P'
i n t h a t s o i l , a s w s di scussed e a r l i e r .
P
The e f f e c t of t h e moi st ur e cont ent on t h e t e n s i l e s t r e n g t h of f r ozen
s o i l s a and on t h e i r adf r eeze s t r e ngt h wi t h t h e met al a
P
i s d i f f e r e n t
i n sand and loam, r es pect i vel y ( s ee t h e t a b l e and t h e dr%&).
I n sand an i ncr eas e i n t he moi st ure cont ent wi t hi n t he range examined
i nduces a s u b s t a n t i a l i nc r e a s e of a and a
P p .cp. '
which p r a c t i c a l l y f ol l ows
t h e l i n e a r law, and t h e dependences of t h e two s t r e n g t h c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of W
a r e s i mi l a r ( t he a r and aPnCp. -W curves a r e p a r a l l e l ) . An i ncr eas e i n W
of sand from 0.12 t o 0.16 wa s accompanied by a decr eas e of i t s por os i t y and
by an i nc r e a s e of i t s degr ee of s a t u r a t i o n from 0.5 t o 0.8. With f u r t h e r
i ncr eas e of W ( t o 0.20) t h e degree of s a t u r a t i o n remained p r a c t i c a l l y
unchanged, but t h e por os i t y i ncr eas e ( s ee t h e drawing). The i ncr eas e i n a
of sand wi t h i ncr eas i ng W can t her ef or e be expl ai ned by t h e i n t e n s i f i c a t i o x
of t h e ice-cement cohesi on (ICC) on account of t he i nc r e a s e i n t h e u n i t a r e a
of t h e i ce- s oi l s kel et on cont act s ( i n t h e i n i t i a l i n t e r v a l of moi st ure and
i c e cont ent s ) . The i ncr eas e of a wi t h t h e r i s e of W may be r e l a t e d
P* clr*
pr i mar i l y t o t he i ncr eas e of a Moreover, i t must be kept i n mind t h a t
P
wi t h i ncr eas i ng W t h e f a i l u r e s ur f a c e becomes l e s s even and i ncr eas es i n
a r e a i n f r ozen s o i l s . Furt hermore, wi t h t h e rise of W, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t he
0.12-0.16 i n t e r v a l of W3, t h e s t r e ngt h of t h e bonds between t h e f r ozen s o i l
and t h e met al i ncr eas es on account of t h e i ncr eas i ng i ce-met al cont act
ar ea.
I ncr eas es i n t he moi st ur e cont ent (W) of t he loam specimens were
accompnaied by changes i n por os i t y and s a t u r a t i o n s i mi l a r t o t hos e observed
f o r sand ( s ee t he drawing). However, t he nat ur e of t he dependence of a on
P
W was d i f f e r e n t i n loam from t h a t recorded f o r sand: a i ncr eas ed wi t h W a t
P
f i r s t , but decreased wi t h f u r t h e r i ncr eas e i n W. The i ncr eas e of up can be
expl ai ned pr i mar i l y by t he i ncr eas i ng s t r e ngt h of t h e i ce- s oi l s kel et on
bonds and of t h e bonds between t h e p a r t i c l e s of t h e s o i l s kel et on, and t h e
decr ease of a by t h e decr eas i ng s t r e ngt h of t he s e s t r u c t u r a l bonds. With
i ncr eas i ng moysture cont ent t h e adf r eeze s t r e ngt h of t h e loam t o t h e met al
( U ) r i s e s smoothly wi t h a pr ogr es s i vel y g r e a t e r i nt e ns i t y. I n ot her
wo!dgpbe does not observe a peak val ue f o r a .c a s observed i n t h e cas e
of a . Thi s i s due t o t h e f a c t t h a t i n loam Cp less i mpor t ant i n t h e
deveyopment of up .cp. t han i n sand.
I n concl usi on l e t us compare t he r e s u l t s of our t e s t s wi t h e a r l i e r
f i ndi ngs . According t o t h e d a t a of Sadovski i [ 8] , a t a t emperat ure of
-5.5OC a = 0.76 MPa, our val ue i s 1.01 MPa. The di s cr epanci es can be
expl ai ne8*&' di f f er ent t echni ques employed i n t h e t e s t s , pr i mar i l y by t he
di f f e r e nc e s i n t he r a t e s at which t he samples were l oaded ( i n our t e s t s t he
t i me t o f a i l u r e was 3 t o 20s., whereas i n Sadovski i ' s t e s t s i t appears t o
have been s e ve r a l mi nut es). It i s equal l y pos s i bl e t h a t t h e specimens
s t udi e d by Sadovski i were d i f f e r e n t from t hos e di s cus s ed i n t h e pr es ent
paper.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Shusherina E.P., Zharov A.A., Nikolaev A.A. et al. Prochnost'
smerzaniya gruntov pri otryve (Adfreeze strength of soils during the
breakaway). -In: Merzlotnye issledovaniya (Permafrost studies).
Moscow, Izd-vo MGU, 1980, issue 19, pp. 178-195.
. - -
2. ~hestkova T.N., ~abolotska~a M.I., Rogov V.V. Kriogennoe stroenie
merzlykh porod (Cryogenic Structure of Frozen Soils). Moscow, Izd-vo
MGU, 1980, 137 p.
3. Vyalov S.S. Reologicheskie svoistva i nesushchaya sposobnost' merzlykh
gruntov (Rheological Properties and Bearing Capacity of Frozen Soils).
Moscow. izd-vo AN SSSR. 1959. 188 p.
or 'ko;a I .M. struktu;nye i- def o&atsionnye osobennosti osadochnykh
porod razlichnoi stepeni uplotneniya i litifikatsii (Structural and
Deformation Characteristics of Sedimentary Rocks of Different Degrees
Consolidation and Lithification). Moscow, Nauka, 1965, 128 p.
Rebinder P.A. Fiziko-khimicheskaya mekhanika dispersnykh struktur
(Physicochemical mechanics of disperse structures). -In:
Fiziko-khimicheskaya mekhanika dispersnykh struktur (Physicochemical
Mechanics of Disperse Structures). Moscow, Nauka, 1966, pp. 3-17.
6. Pekarskaya N. K. , Vyalov S.S., Rovinskii M.I. et al. Issledovaniya
parametrov prochnosti merzlykh gruntov, operdelyayushchikh protsess ikh
razrusheniya zemleroinymi mashinami (Studies on strength parameters of
frozen soils controlling the process of their disturbance by
earth-moving equipment). -In: Tr. IV soveshch. -seminars po obmenu
opytom stroitel'stva v surovykh klimaticheskikh usloviyakh (Proceedings
of the IV Conference for Exchange of Experience Pertaining to
Construction under Harsh Climatic Conditions). Vorkuta, Kn. izd-vo,
1966, v. 8, pp. 1-17.
7. Shusherina E.p. Soprotivlenie merzlykh porod i l'da razryvu v oblasti
nizkikh temperatur /do -60c/ (Resistance of frozen soils to rupture in
the region of low temperatures /to -60C/). -In: Merzlotnye
issledovaniya (Permafrost Studies). Moscow, Izd-vo MHU, 1974, issue 14,
pp. 179-190.
8. Sadovskii A.V. Prochnost' smerzaniya gruntov s materialom fundarnenta
(Adfreeze strength of soils to the material of the foundation). -In:
I1 Mezhdunar. konf. po merzlotovedeniyu (I1 International Permafrost
Conference). Koklady i soobshcheniya (Papers and Communications).
Yakutsk, Kn. izd-vo, 1973, issue 7, pp. 210-214.
Figure 1. Tensile strength, a , of frozen soils and their adfreeze strength
to the metal a 'during the breakaway. a-a ( 1,2) and a
(3,4) as functPc$%'of temperature 0: 1 and 3-gand, W3 = o.PoP'~
and 4-clay loam, W3= 0.49; b a (5,6) and spec (7,8) of frozen
soils as functions of the moisture content W Yd = -2.1C);
c-Characteristics of the frozen soil specimets over the
temperature range investigated: 9 and lo-unfrozen water content
VH (in volume units relative to the frozen soil); 11 and 12-ice
content Vx (same units); 13 and 14-porosity n; 15 and 16degree
of saturation with moisture G; 17 and 18-time of lateral
relaxation of unfrozen water T ; 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17-sand (for
curves 1 and 3); 10, 13, 14, 1 8 and 18-clay loam (for curves 2
and 4); d-characteristics of frozen soil specimens: 19 and
20-VH; 21 and 22-4; 23 and 2411; 25 and 26-G; 19, 21, 23, 25 and
27-sand (for curves 5 and 7); 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28-clay loam
(for curves 6 and 8).