Effect of Freeze–Thaw Temperature and Number of Cycles on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Marble

Abstract

In recent years, more and more extreme ice and snow disasters occurred all over the world. In order to investigate the physical and mechanical properties and the damage law of high-slope rock mass located in the area which is at high risk of extreme ice and snow climates, marble samples were collected in the Daye iron mine, and the freeze–thaw cycle tests at different freezing temperatures and freeze–thaw cycles were carried out with these samples. After 0, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 freeze–thaw cycles, the mass, wave velocity and SEM image of the samples were obtained, and the uniaxial compression test were also carried out. The effects of freeze–thaw cycles and the freezing temperature on the physical and mechanical properties of samples were analyzed. Meanwhile, the multivariate analysis of variance was chosen to investigate the significant influence of freeze–thaw cycles and the freezing temperature on the various physical and mechanical parameters. With the increase of freeze–thaw cycles, the mass loss, the loss rate of wave velocity and the strength loss rate and freeze–thaw damage of marble specimens increase, but the elastic modulus and the freeze–thaw coefficient decrease. The effect of freeze–thaw cycles on the physical properties of marble is more significant than that of the freezing temperature; the significant effects of freeze–thaw cycles on the strength loss rate and freeze–thaw coefficient of marble are close to that of the freezing temperature. For the elastic modulus, the number of freeze–thaw cycles has a significant effect on it, but the freezing temperature has no significant effect on it. The cyclic freezing and thawing have a positive impact on the mesoscopic and microscopic damage and failure of the marble.