Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size Distribution

Ice lens is the key factor which determines the frost heave in engineering construction in cold regions. At present, several theories have been proposed to describe the formation of ice lens. However, most of these theories analyzed the ice lens formation from a macroscopic view and ignored the infl...

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Main Authors: Yuhang Liu, Dongqing Li, Lei Chen, Feng Ming
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/24/8981
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author Yuhang Liu
Dongqing Li
Lei Chen
Feng Ming
author_facet Yuhang Liu
Dongqing Li
Lei Chen
Feng Ming
author_sort Yuhang Liu
collection DOAJ
description Ice lens is the key factor which determines the frost heave in engineering construction in cold regions. At present, several theories have been proposed to describe the formation of ice lens. However, most of these theories analyzed the ice lens formation from a macroscopic view and ignored the influence of microscopic pore sizes and structures. Meanwhile, these theories lacked the support of measured data. To solve this problem, the microscopic crystallization stress was converted into the macro mean stress through the principle of statistics with the consideration of pore size distribution. The mean stress was treated as the driving force of the formation of ice lens and induced into the criterion of ice lens formation. The influence of pore structure and unfrozen water content on the mean stress was analyzed. The results indicate that the microcosmic crystallization pressure can be converted into the macro mean stress through the principle of statistics. Larger mean stress means the ice lens will be formed easier in the soil. The mean stress is positively correlated with initial water content. At the same temperature, an increase to both the initial water content and the number of pores can result in a larger mean stress. Under the same initial water content, mean stress increases with decreasing temperature. The result provides a theoretical basis for studying ice lens formation from the crystallization theory.
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spelling doaj.art-4732780fb14a43fa856d63f36ce178af2023-11-21T01:04:16ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-12-011024898110.3390/app10248981Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size DistributionYuhang Liu0Dongqing Li1Lei Chen2Feng Ming3State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaIce lens is the key factor which determines the frost heave in engineering construction in cold regions. At present, several theories have been proposed to describe the formation of ice lens. However, most of these theories analyzed the ice lens formation from a macroscopic view and ignored the influence of microscopic pore sizes and structures. Meanwhile, these theories lacked the support of measured data. To solve this problem, the microscopic crystallization stress was converted into the macro mean stress through the principle of statistics with the consideration of pore size distribution. The mean stress was treated as the driving force of the formation of ice lens and induced into the criterion of ice lens formation. The influence of pore structure and unfrozen water content on the mean stress was analyzed. The results indicate that the microcosmic crystallization pressure can be converted into the macro mean stress through the principle of statistics. Larger mean stress means the ice lens will be formed easier in the soil. The mean stress is positively correlated with initial water content. At the same temperature, an increase to both the initial water content and the number of pores can result in a larger mean stress. Under the same initial water content, mean stress increases with decreasing temperature. The result provides a theoretical basis for studying ice lens formation from the crystallization theory.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/24/8981frost heaveice lenspore size distributioncrystallization pressureunfrozen water content
spellingShingle Yuhang Liu
Dongqing Li
Lei Chen
Feng Ming
Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size Distribution
Applied Sciences
frost heave
ice lens
pore size distribution
crystallization pressure
unfrozen water content
title Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size Distribution
title_full Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size Distribution
title_fullStr Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size Distribution
title_full_unstemmed Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size Distribution
title_short Study on the Mechanical Criterion of Ice Lens Formation Based on Pore Size Distribution
title_sort study on the mechanical criterion of ice lens formation based on pore size distribution
topic frost heave
ice lens
pore size distribution
crystallization pressure
unfrozen water content
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/24/8981
work_keys_str_mv AT yuhangliu studyonthemechanicalcriterionoficelensformationbasedonporesizedistribution
AT dongqingli studyonthemechanicalcriterionoficelensformationbasedonporesizedistribution
AT leichen studyonthemechanicalcriterionoficelensformationbasedonporesizedistribution
AT fengming studyonthemechanicalcriterionoficelensformationbasedonporesizedistribution