A glimpse into rapid freezing processes in clay with x-ray tomography

Freezing‐induced stiffness and strength anisotropy in freezing clayey soil: Theory, numerical modeling, and experimental validation

“…In this section, we present two numerical examples to demonstrate the capabilities of the constitutive formulation, validate the numerical implementation, interpret the experimental data collected in Ref. [13] and predict how the anisotropic effect of the frozen fringe may affect the onset and the deformation mode of shear band in the frozen clay.…”

“…This section presents the anisotropic model which we later calibrated against the experimental data reported in Ref. [13]. For convenience, we assume that the deformation is infinitesimal.…”

“…Left column: $$t=2$$ h, middle column: $$t=4$$ h, right column: $$t=6$$ h. The figures generated from X‐ray Computed Tomography are modified after Ref. [13]…”

“…We follow the definition of the consolidation zone given in Ref. [13] and assume that the consolidating zone is approximately bounded by the freezing front and the consolidation front. As we have determined the freezing front in our simulation, the consolidation front can be identified with the assistance of the distribution of volumetric strain on the side surface.…”

“…By analyzing the data collected in Ref. [13] and through trial‐and‐error of different alternative hypotheses, we use the proposed model to interpret how both the magnitude and spectral direction of the constitutive responses evolve during the freezing, and we analyze how the anisotropy may affect the frost heave and the strain localization that may occur during the thawing process where the effective stress evolves due to the freeze–thaw action. Our results indicate that the proposed transversely isotropic critical state theory, when coupled with the appropriate balance principles (linear momentum, mass, and energy) and freezing retention curves, may predict the propagation of the frozen fringe while also delivering consistent predictions on the anisotropic solid deformation during the freezing process.…”