Thaw Damage Research Articles

Evaluation of the influence of freeze–thaw cycles on the joint strength of granite in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau, China

The freeze–thaw cycles will lead to rock deterioration and pose a significant threat to engineering stability in cold regions. In this study, granite samples collected from the Luanshibao Landslide in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau were subjected to a maximum of 120 freeze–thaw cycles at two temperature paths (− 10–20 °C and − 20–20 °C). The Brazilian test, uniaxial and triaxial compression tests were carried out to evaluate the strength behavior of samples while the scanning electron microscopy tests to investigate microstructural changes. The correlation between strength be-havior and microstructural evolution of samples after freeze–thaw cycles was discussed. Results indicate that the uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus, tensile strength, and peak strength of samples decreased nonlinearly with freeze–thaw cycles. Besides, freeze–thaw cycles exhibit more pronounced effect on the strength of samples, compared to the temperature path. Based on the Mohr–Coulomb criterion, a joint strength expression was proposed for the tensile, compressive, and shear strengths of granite, which characterizes the influence of freeze–thaw cycles and strength paths on strength behavior of granite samples. SEM images revealed the freeze–thaw damage to the microstructure of granite and further the deterioration of the mechanical properties. The results of this study can provide a valuable reference for assessing the freeze–thaw strength of granite in the context of construction in highland areas, guiding the development of more resilient engineering practices and informing future research on the long-term durability of materials in extreme climates.

Mesoscopic Numerical Simulation of Freeze–Thaw Damage in Hydraulic Concrete

To investigate the impact of freeze–thaw damage on the mechanical properties of concrete, this study utilized Python in combination with ABAQUS 2016 to generate a two-dimensional meso-scale model of concrete. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted on the concrete after freeze–thaw cycles to study the evolution of its mechanical properties. Using “relative compressive strength” as a variable, the relationships between this variable and the parameters of the freeze–thaw damage model were determined, leading to the establishment of the freeze–thaw damage model and the simulation of compressive tests on concrete after freeze–thaw cycles. This study also explored the changes in the mechanical properties of concrete with variations in ITZ parameters and coarse aggregate content. The conclusions drawn are as follows: A comparison with experimental data showed that the model ensures that the relative error of each mechanical property parameter does not exceed 7%, verifying the model’s rationality. Increasing the ratio of ITZ parameters improved the mechanical properties of the ITZ, enhancing the overall mechanical performance, but had almost no effect on the elastic modulus. Compared to ratios of 0.7 and 0.8, concrete with a ratio of 0.9 showed slower rates of decrease in compressive strength and elastic modulus and slower rates of increase in peak compressive strain after freeze–thaw cycles. The increase in coarse aggregate content had a similar effect on the strength and freeze–thaw resistance of concrete as the ratio of ITZ parameters. Concrete with a coarse aggregate content of 60% exhibited slower rates of change in mechanical properties after freeze–thaw cycles.

Heat transfer deformation test and model of coal during LN2 cyclic freezing and thawing process

Exploring the temperature response and deformation characteristics of coal during the freeze–thaw process is crucial for maintaining coal seam stability under liquid nitrogen (LN2) treatment and enhancing gas extraction efficiency. This study investigates the temperature diffusion and deformation characteristics of coal during LN2 cyclic freeze–thaw processes, using saturated and dry anthracite samples. Real-time monitoring of the freeze–thaw characteristics of the anthracite samples was conducted using temperature and strain detectors to quantitatively analyze the evolution of coal temperature and strain. Additionally, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) testing system was used to monitor the pore evolution characteristics of the coal before and after LN2 treatment. The results indicate: After LN2 cyclic freeze–thaw, the internal pores of the saturated samples were highly developed, and fracture connectivity was enhanced, whereas the pores in the dry samples significantly decreased, leading to a sharp reduction in overall connectivity. The cooling and heating rates of the saturated samples were higher than those of the dry samples, both exhibiting exponential trends. This variation is primarily due to the phase change of pore water and the formation and expansion of the internal fracture network within the coal. The deformation magnitude of both sample types showed an overall exponential decline, with the saturated samples exhibiting higher deformation magnitudes than the dry samples. The presence of fracture water not only accelerates coal deterioration during the freeze–thaw process but also enhances coal cementation, maintaining deformation stability. Furthermore, this paper derives a temperature-strain coupling model for coal subjected to LN2 F-T cycles, aiming to provide a reference for understanding the freeze–thaw damage mechanism of coal and the practical application of LN2 fracturing.

Research progress on freeze–thaw constitutive model of concrete based on damage mechanics

Abstract In cold areas, freeze–thaw damage seriously affects the long-term use and safe operation of concrete structures. The constitutive model is an important foundation for predicting deformation and strength characteristics of concrete materials and for the non-linear analysis of concrete structures. This study is based on the elaboration of methods for the constitutive model of damaged materials by using damage mechanics and others. This study focuses on the existing constitutive model results of concrete under the static axial compression load, dynamic load, and coupling environmental load, and analyzing the problems in existing studies. Research has shown that segmented models exhibit higher fitting accuracy of concrete freeze–thaw constitutive model under static axial compression loads. By defining coupled damage variables, it is possible to approach the actual freeze–thaw damage of concrete under environmental coupling, and attention should be paid to the differences or interactions between damage factors. In order to meet the actual engineering needs of high altitude and cold areas needs to expand the temperature range of freeze–thaw tests and consider the dynamic loads impact on concrete damage, the establishment of constitutive model of concrete under the actual freeze–thaw damage is the focus of frost-resistant durability research of hydraulic concrete in cold regions.

Diagnosis and assessment of cyclic freeze–thaw damage in tunnel lining concrete using piezoelectric-based electromechanical impedance technique

Cold regional tunnel linings extensively suffer from severe cyclic freeze–thaw damage, which adversely influences their stability, durability and in-service safety. Consequently, the diagnosis and assessment of cyclic freeze–thaw damage in concrete linings have garnered worldwide attention. This study presents a pioneering effort in using the PZT-based electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique to monitor the evolving damage within lining concrete concurrently exposed to bending loads and freeze–thaw cycles. First of all, ultrasonic measurements and four-point bending tests were performed on cyclically freeze-thawed concrete specimens under two different bending loads. Both the degrading flexural strength and the diminishing ultrasonic wave velocity were measured. Particularly, the damage evolution was characterized by the flexural strength degradation ratio, which exponentially increased by 44.81% and 64.28% under two bending scenarios, respectively. Moreover, conductance signatures driven by two vibration modes (d31 and d33 modes) of embedded piezoelectric transducers were recorded, and both localized and overall variations in the signals were analyzed. It is concluded that both the resonant frequency shift and the statistic metric RMSD within the d31-dominated frequency range could accurately indicate the cyclic freeze–thaw damage of lining concrete. Their linear correlation coefficients with the damage variable reached 0.957 and 0.935, respectively. This research establishes a quantitative framework for monitoring the progressive damage of tunnel lining subjected to freeze–thaw cycling using the EMI technique and lays the groundwork for a broader range of future applications in structure damage diagnosis and assessment.

Evaluation of piezoresistive response and freeze–thaw damage of self-sensing cement mortar based on conductive fibre

This paper aims to design a self-sensing cement mortar of optimised mechanical and sensing properties considering the water-cement ratio and propose a freeze–thaw damage sensing evaluation parameter. An orthogonal experimental design of compressive strength test and piezoresistive response test was utilised to find the optimal proportion. Freeze–thaw damage sensing test was conducted to found the method for characterising freeze–thaw damage. It is found that the order of the influential factors on stress sensitivity is CF (carbon fibre) content > water-ratio > SF (steel fibre) content. A freeze–thaw damage parameter D k was proposed for characterising freeze–thaw damage based on the slope of the curve of fraction change in resistivity and freeze–thaw cycle numbers and it can be applied to the prediction of the service life of self-sensing cement mortar. The findings of this investigation can help engineers realise freeze–thaw damage evaluation in cement concrete pavement using self-sensing cement mortar.

Mechanical Damage and Freeze–Thaw Damage of Concrete with Recycled Brick Coarse Aggregate

The influence of different recycled brick coarse aggregate (RBA) substitution rates on the mechanical performance and frost resistance of concrete was observed. The test findings revealed that RBA deteriorated the compressive and flexural properties in concrete and improved the tensile properties and plasticity in concrete to some extent. The frost resistance of concrete can be effectively improved by adding RBA. The influence degree of the RBA concrete frost resistance factor was quantified by gray entropy correlation theory, and the gray entropy correlations between freezing and thawing cycles, natural coarse aggregate substitution rate, recycled brick aggregate substitution rate, and freezing and thawing damage value (DN) were 0.9979, 0.9914, and 0.9876, respectively. Moreover, the freezing and thawing damage model about GM(1, 1) theory was developed (R2 > 0.87), which can better predict the freezing and thawing damage of RBA concrete. The damage mechanism of RBA concrete during freezing and thawing was revealed.

Experimental Investigation on Freeze–Thaw Damage Mechanism of Xiyu Conglomerate Under Uniaxial Cyclic Loading

Experimental Investigation on Freeze–Thaw Damage Mechanism of Xiyu Conglomerate Under Uniaxial Cyclic Loading

Effects of different power multi-frequency ultrasound-assisted thawing on the quality characteristics and protein stability of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea)

This study investigated the impact of multi-frequency ultrasound-assisted (20/28/40 kHz) thawing (MUAT) at different power levels (195, 220, 245, and 270 W, respectively) on the flesh quality and protein stability of large yellow croakers. Compared with flowing water thawing (FWT) and the other MUAT sample, flesh quality results indicated that the MUAT-220 W significantly reduced (p < 0.05) thawing loss, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), total free amino acids (FAAs) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) spectroscopy indicated that MUAT-220 W samples had higher immobilized water content and lower free water content. In addition, the MUAT-220 W sample contained higher sulfhydryl and lower carbonyl contents compared to the FWT sample. Secondary and tertiary structural results of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) showed that MUAT-220 W significantly reduced thawing damage to MPs. Therefore, MUAT-220 W improved the quality and protein stability of the large yellow croaker during the defrosting process.

Deterioration mechanisms of tuff with surface fractures under freeze–thaw cycles

In practical engineering, the development of surface cracks is one of the most important reasons for the destruction of the rock mass, and the development of complex morphology fractures on the rock mass surface significantly influences rock mass mechanics. This paper addresses the freeze–thaw damage issue in rock mass containing surface fractures in cold regions. Tuffs and a control group are selected as research samples, with the control group being prefabricated surface jointed specimens with an inclination angle of 70° and a fracture depth ratio d (crack depth) /t (sample width) of 0.26. The study analyzes the mass, wave velocity loss, macro-microcosmic fracture damage morphology, and mechanical properties of the two specimen groups through laboratory freeze–thaw cycle tests, uniaxial compression tests, and scanning electron microscopy examinations. The results show an overall decrease in mass, wave velocity, and uniaxial compressive strength as the cycle number increases, with the prefabricated jointed group samples showing more significant changes. However, the two specimen groups exhibit different macroscopic failure fracture states. In addition, scanning electron microscopy images illustrate that after freeze–thaw cycles, the large rock mass particles break into smaller fragments, resulting in looser particle arrangements and a transition from initial surface cementation to point contact., which weakens the compressive strength of the rock mass. The paper also explains the mechanism of the diminishing impact of freeze–thaw cycles on the strength of the rock mass after a certain number of cycles. The research outcomes hold significant reference value for engineering construction in cold regions.

Evolution of Freeze–Thaw Damage Characteristics and Corresponding Models of Intact and Fractured Rocks Under Uniaxial Compression

Evolution of Freeze–Thaw Damage Characteristics and Corresponding Models of Intact and Fractured Rocks Under Uniaxial Compression

The Risk of Alkali–Carbonate Reaction and the Freeze–Thaw Resistance of Waste Dolomite Slag-Based Concrete

The alkali–carbonate reaction (ACR) is a type of alkali–aggregate reaction (AAR) that may lead to serious damage in concrete construction. There is sufficient research on the effect of the ACR on dolomite limestone; however, research on the effect of the ACR on pure dolomite is absent, and there are a large number of dolomite resources that cannot be effectively utilized in civil engineering. This study aims to investigate whether the ACR occurs in pure dolomite spoil and to determine the freeze–thaw resistance of pure waste dolomite slag-based concrete (PWDSC). In this study, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the lithofacies method (LM) confirmed that the tested samples were pure dolomite. The rock cylinder method (RCM) and rapid preliminary screening testing for carbonate aggregates (AAR-5) were employed to determine the alkali activity of pure dolomite: the RCM indicated a variation of −0.09% in length during the 84-day test period, the AAR-5 exhibited a length expansion rate of 0.03% within 28 days, and the expansion rates were less than 0.1%. These findings suggest that pure waste dolomite slag (PWDS) does not possess alkali activity. The freeze–thaw cycle test showed no significant spalling on the concrete surface, the inside of the cement produced few micro-cracks according to scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) test showed a decrease of approximately 20% after 200 freeze–thaw cycles. The results verified that ACR does not occur in PWDS and that it can withstand freeze–thaw damage, to a certain extent, when used as concrete coarse aggregate.

Experimental study on mechanical properties of alkali activated concrete after freeze–thaw cycles

In order to study the frost resistance of alkali activated concrete (AAC), 15 AAC cube specimens and 15 cylindrical specimens were designed and manufactured. The frost thawing cycle test and mechanical performance test were used to study the frost resistance of AAC. The results showed that after freeze–thaw cycles, small pores appeared on the surface of the specimen, and the surface roughness increased, resulting in a darker appearance. As the number of freeze–thaw cycles increases, the highest mass loss rate of AAC reaches 1.88%. The cube compressive strength and axial compressive strength of AAC first increase and then decrease, while the elastic modulus gradually decreases. After 50 freeze–thaw cycles, the compressive strength of the specimen was greater than that of the normal temperature specimen. When the freeze–thaw cycles reached 200, the elastic modulus of the specimen degraded by 9.7%, the compressive strength decreased by 18.6%, and the axial compressive strength decreased by 31.2%. Based on the experimental results, a method for calculating the residual strength of AAC after freeze–thaw cycles and key parameters of the freeze–thaw damage constitutive equation were proposed.

Freeze–thaw damage analysis and life prediction of modified pervious concrete based on Weibull distribution

An assessment of the freeze–thaw durability of pervious concrete was conducted using a rapid freezing method to investigate the durability of modified pervious concrete within a freeze–thaw environment. The optimal proportion of the modified material was determined by evaluating the mass-loss rate and the relative dynamic elastic modulus as indicators of freeze–thaw performance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe microcrack propagation and reaction products. A freeze–thaw damage model, based on the Weibull probability distribution, was formulated. Freeze–thaw damage analysis and life prediction assessment were carried out using curves such as freeze–thaw damage velocity curves, freeze–thaw damage acceleration curves, failure rate curves, and reliability life curves. The outcomes revealed that the inclusion of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and silica ash had a favourable impact on improving the frost resistance of pervious concrete at later stages. The optimal proportions for PAN fibre and silica ash were determined as 0.6 % and 8 %, respectively. As the number of freeze–thaw cycles approached approximately 52.03 times, the freeze–thaw cycle velocity peaked. Subsequently, the freeze–thaw damage velocity was categorised into three stages based on the freeze–thaw damage acceleration curve. The degradation of pervious concrete due to freeze–thaw cycles followed a typical loss-type failure pattern. Notably, a 50 % increase in PAN fibre content resulted in a 62.92 % reduction in failure rate. Furthermore, a predictive analysis was conducted to estimate the lifespan of pervious concrete in a representative freeze–thaw region in China was performed.

Exploring freeze-thaw damage distribution of asphalt mixture through DIC in combination with CT

Open graded friction course (OGFC) is highly susceptible to environmental impacts such as load and clogging, due to its rich void structure and exposure to environments. Especially in cold regions, freeze–thaw (F-T) damage is inevitable for OGFC. While the existing analysis methods cannot specifically describe the material's micro-response to load or environment. Therefore, the digital image correlation (DIC) in combination with computed tomography (CT) was applied to closely examine the intricate process of F-T damage of OGFC in this research. Principal strain and strain energy were used to describe the F-T damage process and distribution. In addition, the effects of initial void content and immersion conditions on the temporal and spatial distribution of damage were discussed. The data demonstrated that the spatial distribution of F-T damage strain was uneven. During F-T cycles, the principal strain inside the OGFC during F-T cycles was generally increased, and the deformation of the sample gradually accumulated. According to the strain energy growth rate variation, the F-T damage could be divided into two stages during the 18 F-T cycles, namely, the development stage and the deceleration stage. Moreover, the crucial parts of F-T damage were determined to be at the end of the voids connected with the outside or the void interface between the aggregates and asphalt mortar. The larger initial void content would increase the strain of OGFC during F-T cycles, as well as the inhomogeneity of the strain. Furthermore, the strain energy increased considerably, and the development of F-T damage of OGFC accelerated. Under partial immersion conditions, the immersed part has large strain and strain energy due to the direct effect of F-T, and the increase in immersion depth aggravates the F-T damage.

Study on the Effect of Post-Freezing Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Fibre Concrete Based on BAS-BPNN

An indoor accelerated freezing and thawing test of polypropylene fibre-reinforced concrete in chloride and sulphate environments was conducted using the “fast-freezing method” with the objective of investigating the damage law of the post-freezing mechanical properties of hydraulic concrete structures and studying the effects of different mixing amounts of polypropylene fibres on the mechanical properties of concrete. Furthermore, in order to reduce the cost of concrete tests and shorten the time required for conducting concrete tests, a backpropagation neural network based on a Beetle Antenna Search algorithm (BAS-BPNN) was established to simulate and predict the mechanical properties of polypropylene fibre-reinforced concrete. The accuracy of the model was verified. The results indicate that the order of improvement in the macro-physical properties of concrete due to fibre doping is as follows: PPF1.2 exhibited the greatest improvement in macro-physical properties of concrete, followed by PPF0.9, PPF1.5, PPF0.6, and PC. When the freezing and thawing medium and the number of cycles are identical, all four assessment indexes (R2, RMSE, SI, MAPE) demonstrate that the four groups of polypropylene fibre concrete exhibit superior performance to the control group of ordinary concrete. This indicates that polypropylene fibre can enhance the mechanical properties and freezing resistance of the concrete matrix, delay the process of freezing and thawing damage to the matrix, and extend the lifespan of the matrix, yet cannot prevent the ultimate failure of the matrix. The application of intelligent algorithms to optimise the parameters of an artificial neural network model can enhance its capacity to generalise and predict the mechanical properties of concrete. In terms of the coefficient of determination (R2), the Beetle Antenna Search algorithm (0.9782) outperforms the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO; 0.9676), the Genetic Algorithm (GA; 0.9645), and the backpropagation neural network (BPNN; 0.9460). The improved backpropagation neural network based on the Beetle Antenna Search algorithm not only avoids the trap of local optimality but also improves the model accuracy while further accelerating the convergence speed. This approach can address the complexity, non-linearity, and modelling difficulties encountered during the freezing process of concrete. Moreover, it offers relatively accurate prediction outcomes at a reduced cost in comparison to traditional experimental methodologies.

Multi-scale analysis of mudstone freeze–thaw damage mechanism

Multi-scale analysis of mudstone freeze–thaw damage mechanism

Ultrasound-based freeze–thaw damage evaluation of graphene-basalt fiber asphalt mixtures

Ultrasound-based freeze–thaw damage evaluation of graphene-basalt fiber asphalt mixtures

Quantitative Study of the Failure Characteristics of Sandstone with Freeze–Thaw Damage: Insight into the Cracking Behavior

Quantitative Study of the Failure Characteristics of Sandstone with Freeze–Thaw Damage: Insight into the Cracking Behavior

A study on the effect of microspheres on the freeze–thaw resistance of EPS concrete

Abstract This study investigated the influence of microbead dosages (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20%) on the frost resistance of expanded polystyrene (EPS) concrete. Five groups of EPS concrete specimens were prepared and subjected to rapid freeze–thaw tests. The freeze–thaw deterioration of EPS concrete was assessed using macroscopic indicators, including mass loss, strength loss, and dynamic elastic modulus loss. The underlying deterioration mechanism was revealed through the analysis of the EPS particle–matrix interface. A concrete damage plasticity model of EPS concrete based on damage mechanics theory was established. The results indicate that the addition of microbeads increased the strength of EPS concrete by 38–53%, reduced the strength attenuation after freeze–thaw damage by 8.1%, and improved the frost resistance level by 10–60 grades. The optimal dosage of microbeads is 15% of the cementitious material. The interfacial transition zone gaps in EPS concrete with added microbeads after freeze–thaw cycles are smaller, contributing to a more complete hydration reaction. The freeze–thaw damage model established in this study accurately reflects the freeze–thaw damage law of EPS concrete and provides a reference for studying the mechanical properties of EPS concrete under freeze–thaw cycles. The research findings of this study can enhance the strength and service life of EPS concrete, expanding its application scope as a structural material. The study provides valuable insights for future research and engineering applications related to the frost resistance of EPS concrete.