Experimental study on freezing point and deformation characteristics of unsaturated silty clay subjected to freeze-thaw cycles

To obtain a predictive model of freezing deformation, three-dimension deformational tests are carried out to study the deformation characteristics of samples with various degrees of saturation and void ratios. To obtain the ice content in frozen soils, the freezing points of soils are also measured. The test results demonstrate that: (1) The freezing point of soils is mainly dependent on the initial matric suction of soils. (2) There are two different deformation phenomena for soils after being frozen: one is the frozen shrinkage if the degree of saturation of soils is low, the other is the frozen expansion if the degree of saturation is high. (3) The volumetric strains of soils after being frozen have a linear empirical relation with the ratio of volumetric ice content to initial void ratio of soils, where the volumetric ice content of soils can be calculated by the degree of saturation, freezing point, temperature and dry density of soils.