Cold Regions Science and Technology最新文献

Strain localization has always been an important subject in frozen soil mechanics and engineering. To evaluate the development of local strain and the formation of shear bands in frozen soil, uniaxial compression tests have been conducted on frozen sand at various temperatures and particle grades. The strain localization evolution law of the frozen soil is analyzed utilizing the digital image correlation (DIC) method. The test results reveal that the entire process of shear band generation, development, and formation in frozen soil can be well captured. Within the testing temperature and particle grade range in this study, in comparison to particle grade, temperature exerts a more pronounced influence on the shear band angle which increases as temperature decreases. It is discovered that the width of the shear band increases with the decrease in temperature and the increase in mean particle diameter d₅₀. Subsequently, a discrete element method (DEM) model is developed to examine the microscopic mechanical characteristics of frozen sand in uniaxial compression tests. The reliability of the DEM model is verified through comparative analysis with test results. Besides, the development law of the strain localization of the frozen soil obtained by the numerical simulation is revealed based on the quantitative analysis of the rotational angle, bonding state, and displacement of the soil particle during the shearing process.

Coastlines along the Sea of Okhotsk in Hokkaido are the southernmost regions in the northern Pacific Ocean where sea ice reaches the coast. It has been demonstrated that global warming affects and decreases the ice cover area in the Sea of Okhotsk. This study thus aims to investigate the relationship between sea ice and waves in the Sea of Okhotsk by analyzing ice cover area, sea ice volume, significant wave height and significant wave period. Additionally, we made an attempt to clarify trends in ice cover area and sea ice volume from 1989 to 2012 using satellite images. Sea ice volumes in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk correlate with significant wave height and significant wave period. Furthermore, ice cover area and sea ice volume have decreased since 2001 or 2002, which may enhance wave action during winter.

Cement-stabilized soils are widely used in civil engineering applications. However, they inevitably encounter low-temperature curing conditions, particularly in cold regions. In this study, shear experiments were conducted on cement-stabilized silty clays with different dry densities, cement contents, curing ages and temperatures. The factors influencing the shear performance of cement-stabilized soils were analyzed. The results showed that the peak value of the shear stress-displacement curve of the cement-stabilized silty clay increased with the vertical pressure, and the failure patterns for soils with and without cement significantly differed. Generally, the soils without cement underwent ductile failure, whereas the cement-stabilized soils experienced brittle failure. The shear strength and cohesion of the cement-stabilized soils increased with cement content, dry density, curing age and temperature. In addition, the ice and hydration products significantly influenced the internal friction angle of the cement-stabilized soils. An optimal cement content for silty clay was determined to obtain the largest internal friction angle, which ranged from 12% to 15%. Furthermore, at the curing temperature of −2 °C, the edge-face contact form accounted for the majority with a relatively high porosity, but the morphology of C-S-H changed from a sheet-like form to reticulate structure when the curing temperature increased to 22 °C. However, the contribution of the ice crystals to the shear strength was less significant than that of the hydration products. This study provides insights into the mechanical and microstructural properties of cement-stabilized soils in cold-region geotechnical construction.

Monitoring winter road surface conditions (RSC) is essential for optimizing winter road maintenance operations and ensuring public traffic safety and mobility. However, many existing RSC estimation methods focus primarily on local or site-specific conditions, thus lacking effectiveness in comprehensive spatial mapping under varying winter weather events. Additionally, the potential financial benefits these methods could provide to maintenance authorities remain largely unexplored. This study addresses these gaps by introducing a refined methodology that harnesses the $K$-Means algorithm to characterize various weather events – a significant stride towards improving the generalizability and accuracy of road surface temperature (RST) estimations. The study also incorporates regression kriging (RK), a renowned geostatistical technique, as an integral component of a system for constructing an extensive spatial map of RSC across large highway networks. This strategy maximizes the use of data from existing road weather information systems (RWIS) to bridge their large spatial gaps. This study further quantifies the potential savings derived from optimally placing RWIS stations and reducing traffic collisions. The efficacy of these methods is validated through a real-world case study on two major interstate highways in Iowa, US, with RST estimation discrepancies as low as 0.619 °C. The findings also indicate potential cost savings by conserving up to 10 RWIS stations, which can be further translated into monetary savings of RWIS capital costs, traffic collisions prevention, enhanced traffic mobility and savings in maintenance material usage.

In order to investigate the freezing damage problem of berms of earth-rock dams in cold regions, an earth-rock dam in a cold region was selected as the research object in this study. A finite element model, considering the effect of thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling, has been developed to solve the problem by combining the characteristics of the earth-rock dam. The whole process of freezing damage of berms under the influence of the reservoir level and the water migration of the dam filling was investigated, and the laws in temperature, humidity and displacement of earth-rock dams were analyzed. The calculated displacement field was then compared with the measured frozen deformation data to validate the results of the finite element simulation. The results showed that the freezing influence range of the dam slope was about 2 m, the range of temperature influence on the dam slope mainly depended on the depth of freezing, and the temperature change in the shallow range (0–2 m) of the dam slope was influenced by the outside air temperature. Also, the internal temperature of the dam body was small relative to the shallow dam slope, and there was a certain hysteresis. In addition, the effect of negative temperature was such that the shallow pore water phase of the dam slope turned into ice, manifesting macroscopically as a reduction in unfrozen water content. Water phase change, water migration from the dam filling to the dam slope, and the movement of the ice peak towards the dam body were found to be the main causes of berm freezing and expansion damage. The calculated amount expansion (due to freezing) of the dam slope was found to be in the range of 20–30 cm with a maximum value of 36 cm, which was consistent with the measured results. It was also found that the freezing and expansion damage of the berm is mainly caused by the joint action of freezing and expansion of the soil and rock mixture such as gravel bedding and dam filling, as well as the ice thrust force. It is expected that the results of this research can provide a basis for the design of berms of earth-rock dams in cold regions.

Artificial freezing is one of the most effective methods in the excavation of water-rich soils. This work aims at investigating the influence of cement‑sodium silicate grout (C-S grout) and organic polymer stabilizer (OPS) on the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), stress-strain curve, and unfrozen water content of frozen sandy soil. A series of uniaxial compression tests and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests were conducted on the saturated frozen sandy soils improved by C-S grout and OPS (“C-S grout-improved soil” and “OPS-improved soil”) under different negative temperatures (i.e., −5 °C, −10 °C, −15 °C, and −20 °C). Based upon the experiment results and existing stress-strain models, including improved Duncan-Chang model and elastic-strain hardening model, a nonlinear elastic-strain hardening constitutive model for improved soils was proposed, in which each parameter has well-defined physical meaning. The results showed that, as the temperature decreases, the strengths of frozen improved soils gradually increase. The strength of OPS-improved soil first increases and then decreases with the increase of OPS dosage. Contrary to the UCS, the unfrozen water content of two improved soils was observed to gradually decrease with the decrease of temperature. As the OPS dosage increases, the unfrozen water content of improved soils decreases first and then increases. When the strain is <0.2, the stress-strain curves of frozen C-S grout-improved soil exhibits a behavior of yielding first and then hardening after the nonlinear elastic stage, while OPS-improved soil exhibits continuous strain hardening behavior. With temperature and unfrozen water content given, the new nonlinear elastic-strain hardening model can accurately predict the stress-strain behavior of frozen improved soils. This study is helpful to the stability analysis of artificial frozen walls and pre-control of environmental deformation during the excavation of water-rich sandy soils.

The spatial heterogeneity and temporal tendency of snow avalanche (hereafter called avalanche) activities are responses to variations in the inducing environment under climate warming and epitomize the repercussions of the global cryosphere on climate warming. This paper focuses on channeled avalanches in the marine snow climate region of the Parlung Tsangpo catchment in southeast Tibet as an example. Through field investigations, we identify the spatial extents of avalanche paths, while historical avalanche flow paths from the past 35 years (1986/1987–2021/2022) within these paths are interpreted using Landsat optical images. Statistical analysis is then employed to derive spatial heterogeneity and temporal tendencies within and between years. The results indicate that the runout altitudes of historical avalanches primarily range from 3468 m to 4051 m, with average flow directions predominantly following the northwest, north and northeast directions. Avalanche activity peaks between February and April, with longer runout distances observed during this period. Regarding interannual regularity, the evolution of the runout distance, runout altitude, and height difference of avalanche flow paths over the past 35 years demonstrates a cyclic evolution akin to a sine function. Additionally, a moderate correlation between the interannual variation in historical avalanche activity intensity and the Southern Oscillation Index was observed. These findings strengthen the understanding of the temporal evolutionary pattern of avalanches in response to climate warming, providing valuable insights into the channeled avalanche occurrences in the maritime snow climate of southeastern Tibet.

To study the seismic response of permafrost slopes supported by the thermal anchor pipe during different freeze-thaw periods, the simplified dynamic calculation model of the thermal anchor pipe permafrost system is established, considering the characteristics of freeze-thaw stratification of permafrost, the additional mass effect of the thawed soil layer, the fluid-solid interaction between the cooling liquid and pipe wall, as well as the interaction between the anchorage section and the frozen soil. The results indicate that seasonal differences in both the amplitude and waveform of the axial force response of the thermal anchor pipe during different freeze-thaw periods. The dynamic axial force increment in thawing period is greater than that in freezing period, but the total axial force is greater in freezing period, and it should be designed to prevent it from generating excessive anchor tension and breaking under the combined action of frost heaven and earthquake. Additionally, the axial force response of the adiabatic section and evaporator section is greater than that of the anchoring section. The proposed theoretical model for thermal anchor pipe is reasonable and the results can provide useful guidance for the seismic design of the new structure.

The damage characteristics and failure modes of rock specimens subjected to different freeze–thaw (FT) cycles are vital to rock engineering in cold regions. Hence, in this study, the physical and mechanical parameters of sandstone specimens under different FT cycles were measured, and their deterioration laws were analyzed. The damage features of the rocks in different FT states under loading along various stress paths, including the main-frequency variation and crack propagation path evolution, were statistically analyzed. Two damage variables, one related to the acoustic emission (AE) and the other related to the rock strength, were combined to reveal the AE characteristics and damage evolution laws in the different damage states. The results showed that FT cycling led to a decrease in the peak stress, an increase in the number of microcracks, an increase in the AE activity, a shift in the main-frequency distribution toward the low-frequency range, and a shift in the damage mode from shear damage to a mixed damage dominated by tensile damage. The degree of strength deterioration in the rock specimens was affected by FT cycling under the different stress paths in the following influence order: conventional uniaxial loading > equal-amplitude cyclic loading> multistage cyclic loading; cyclic loading was more likely to induce tensile rupture than conventional uniaxial loading. The AE characteristic parameters were consistent with the stress–strain curve variations, which could reflect the damage evolution process of the rock specimens. The main frequencies showed a band-like evolution trend with the loading process and could be divided into three bands: a low-frequency interval (0–50 kHz), a medium-frequency interval (50–150 kHz), and a high-frequency interval (150–300 kHz); the main frequencies were concentrated in the low-frequency interval. With the increase in the number of FT cycles, the main frequency in the high-frequency interval and the number of corresponding microcracks gradually decreased.

Debris cover either enhances or reduces glacier melting, thereby modulating glacier response to increasing temperatures. Debris cover variation and glacier recession were investigated on five glaciers; Pensilungpa (PG), Drung Drung (DD), Haskira (HK), Kange (KG) and Hagshu (HG), situated in the topographically and climatically similar zone in the Zanskar Himalaya using satellite data between 2000 and 2020. Analyses reveals that the HK, KG, and HG had a debris-covered area of ∼24% in 2020, while PG and DD had a debris cover of <10%. Comparing PG to the other four glaciers, it had the highest shrinkage (5.7 ± 0.3%) and maximum thinning (1.6 ± 0.6 m a⁻¹). Accordingly, detailed measurements of PG's debris cover thickness, temperature and ablation were conducted for eleven days in August 2020. The results indicated a significant variation of temperature and the highest melting was observed near dirty and thin debris-covered ice surface. Thermal conductivity of 0.9 ± 0.1 Wm⁻¹ K⁻¹ and 1.1 ± 0.1 Wm⁻¹ K⁻¹ was observed at 15 cm and 20 cm debris-depth, respectively. The ablation measurements indicated an average cumulative melting of 21.5 cm during eleven days only. Degree-day factor showed a decreasing trend towards debris cover depth with the highest value (4.8 mm w.e.°C⁻¹ d⁻¹) found for the dirty ice near the glacier surface and the lowest value (0.4 mm w.e.°C⁻¹ d⁻¹) found at 30 cm depth. The study highlights the importance of in-situ debris cover, temperature and ablation measurements for better understanding the impact of debris cover on glacier melting.