Ternary medium constitutive model of frozen rubber-reinforced expansive soil

The application of waste rubber for soil improvement is feasible, and the static and dynamic properties of rubber-reinforced soils have been extensively studied. However, the mechanical properties of frozen rubber-reinforced expansive soils have not been effectively studied due to the complexity of multiphase media under the action of multiple fields, and no applicable constitutive models describe them. In this paper, the stress-strain relationship model for frozen rubber-reinforced expansive soils is investigated over a range of strain rates from 0.18% to 0.3% and the following conclusions were obtained: (1) The structural model of the frozen rubber-reinforced expansive soil can be considered a ternary medium model that consists of elasto-brittle bonding elements, elasto-plastic friction elements and elastic friction elements. (2) The stress-strain relationship can be divided into three stages: linear elastic stage, elasto-plastic stage and strain softening (RC ≤ 15%) or hardening (RC = 20%) stage. The ternary medium model can better describe the three stages deformation process. (3) The rubber content has a greater influence on the stress-strain relationship. When the rubber content reaches 20%, the expression of the stress-strain curve changes from strain softening to strain hardening, at which time the rubber dominates. (4) The maximum shear strength of frozen rubber-reinforced expansive soil is obtained at 10% rubber content.