The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature Variations

Freeze-thaw (F-T) cycle tests and triaxial shear tests are conducted under varying freezing ambient temperatures and different F-T cycles for remolded loess. The results indicate that nearly all stress–strain curves of remolded loess exhibit strain-hardening behavior under varying freezing ambient t...

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Main Authors: Fang Zheng, Xinle Xue, Zhanping Song, Yuwei Zhang, Hongke Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Buildings
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/11/1806
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author Fang Zheng
Xinle Xue
Zhanping Song
Yuwei Zhang
Hongke Liu
author_facet Fang Zheng
Xinle Xue
Zhanping Song
Yuwei Zhang
Hongke Liu
author_sort Fang Zheng
collection DOAJ
description Freeze-thaw (F-T) cycle tests and triaxial shear tests are conducted under varying freezing ambient temperatures and different F-T cycles for remolded loess. The results indicate that nearly all stress–strain curves of remolded loess exhibit strain-hardening behavior under varying freezing ambient temperatures and different F-T cycles. A decrease in freezing temperature alters the yield strain of loess and diminishes its resistance to deformation. As the freezing temperature decreases and the number of F-T cycles increases, the failure deviatoric stress of loess initially decreases, then increases, and eventually stabilizes. The most detrimental freezing temperature is −12 °C, which significantly exacerbates the adverse effects of F-T cycles on failure deviatoric stress. The strength indices initially decrease and then increase with decreasing freezing temperatures, while they first decrease and then stabilize with an increasing number of F-T cycles. Notably, the deterioration of cohesion is significantly greater than that of the internal friction angle. A quantitative analysis is conducted to examine the relationship between failure deviatoric stress, shear strength index, temperature, and freeze-thaw cycles. The fitting results effectively quantify the influence of different variables on the strength characteristics of loess. The findings of this research have significant theoretical implications for practical engineering applications in the northwest loess region.
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spelling doaj-art-865bb893663c44f58ccdda1f05ee8e9d2025-08-20T03:11:21ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-05-011511180610.3390/buildings15111806The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature VariationsFang Zheng0Xinle Xue1Zhanping Song2Yuwei Zhang3Hongke Liu4School of Civil Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, ChinaFreeze-thaw (F-T) cycle tests and triaxial shear tests are conducted under varying freezing ambient temperatures and different F-T cycles for remolded loess. The results indicate that nearly all stress–strain curves of remolded loess exhibit strain-hardening behavior under varying freezing ambient temperatures and different F-T cycles. A decrease in freezing temperature alters the yield strain of loess and diminishes its resistance to deformation. As the freezing temperature decreases and the number of F-T cycles increases, the failure deviatoric stress of loess initially decreases, then increases, and eventually stabilizes. The most detrimental freezing temperature is −12 °C, which significantly exacerbates the adverse effects of F-T cycles on failure deviatoric stress. The strength indices initially decrease and then increase with decreasing freezing temperatures, while they first decrease and then stabilize with an increasing number of F-T cycles. Notably, the deterioration of cohesion is significantly greater than that of the internal friction angle. A quantitative analysis is conducted to examine the relationship between failure deviatoric stress, shear strength index, temperature, and freeze-thaw cycles. The fitting results effectively quantify the influence of different variables on the strength characteristics of loess. The findings of this research have significant theoretical implications for practical engineering applications in the northwest loess region.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/11/1806F-T cyclesfreezing temperaturefailure deviatoric stressshear strength indexquantitative analysis
spellingShingle Fang Zheng
Xinle Xue
Zhanping Song
Yuwei Zhang
Hongke Liu
The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature Variations
Buildings
F-T cycles
freezing temperature
failure deviatoric stress
shear strength index
quantitative analysis
title The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature Variations
title_full The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature Variations
title_fullStr The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature Variations
title_full_unstemmed The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature Variations
title_short The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties of Loess Under Temperature Variations
title_sort influence of freeze thaw cycles on the mechanical properties of loess under temperature variations
topic F-T cycles
freezing temperature
failure deviatoric stress
shear strength index
quantitative analysis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/11/1806
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