Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open Frozen

Adjusting freezing patterns is a critical technology in artificial ground freezing (AGF) projects to mitigate frost heave. The distribution of ice lenses formed under varying freezing patterns not only influences frost heave but also modifies the structure of thawed soil, thereby affecting the thaw...

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Main Authors: Zhen Wang, Haoran Wang, Xiaohui Ni, Ming Wu, Shu Zhu, Semaierjiang Maimaitiyusupu, Zhende Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Buildings
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/753
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author Zhen Wang
Haoran Wang
Xiaohui Ni
Ming Wu
Shu Zhu
Semaierjiang Maimaitiyusupu
Zhende Zhu
author_facet Zhen Wang
Haoran Wang
Xiaohui Ni
Ming Wu
Shu Zhu
Semaierjiang Maimaitiyusupu
Zhende Zhu
author_sort Zhen Wang
collection DOAJ
description Adjusting freezing patterns is a critical technology in artificial ground freezing (AGF) projects to mitigate frost heave. The distribution of ice lenses formed under varying freezing patterns not only influences frost heave but also modifies the structure of thawed soil, thereby affecting the thaw settlement process. However, most existing research on freezing patterns has primarily focused on their impact on frost heave, with limited attention paid to thaw settlement. This study investigates the cooling rates at the cold side of open frozen systems, which are the key variables defining different freezing patterns, and examines their effect on the permeability coefficient of thawed soil. Experimental results demonstrate that the cooling rate significantly influences the soil permeability coefficient. This is specifically manifested as a 12.18-fold enhancement in permeability coefficients as cooling rates decrease from 0.5 °C/s to 0.005 °C/s. As the temperature gradient increases, the permeability coefficients increase. The minimum enhancement magnitude in the permeability coefficient was recorded at −75 °C. A decrease in the cooling rate leads to an increase in the permeability coefficient, particularly under high frozen temperature conditions. Utilizing the Kozeny–Carman permeability coefficient equation, a predictive model for the permeability coefficient of thawed soil was developed. In practical AGF projects, any freezing pattern can be represented as a combination of different cooling rates. By applying this predictive model, the permeability coefficient of thawed soil under any freezing pattern can be simulated using the corresponding combination of cooling rates. This study provides a valuable reference for predicting thaw settlement following artificial freezing construction.
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spelling doaj-art-993c6da80ee0437ba211562ae424ea562025-08-20T02:05:09ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-02-0115575310.3390/buildings15050753Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open FrozenZhen Wang0Haoran Wang1Xiaohui Ni2Ming Wu3Shu Zhu4Semaierjiang Maimaitiyusupu5Zhende Zhu6Department of Civil Engineering and Smart Cities, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaDepartment of Civil Engineering and Smart Cities, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaCollege of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, ChinaDepartment of Civil Engineering and Smart Cities, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Geomechanics and Embankment Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaCollege of Civil Engineering, Kashi University, Kashgar 844006, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Geomechanics and Embankment Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaAdjusting freezing patterns is a critical technology in artificial ground freezing (AGF) projects to mitigate frost heave. The distribution of ice lenses formed under varying freezing patterns not only influences frost heave but also modifies the structure of thawed soil, thereby affecting the thaw settlement process. However, most existing research on freezing patterns has primarily focused on their impact on frost heave, with limited attention paid to thaw settlement. This study investigates the cooling rates at the cold side of open frozen systems, which are the key variables defining different freezing patterns, and examines their effect on the permeability coefficient of thawed soil. Experimental results demonstrate that the cooling rate significantly influences the soil permeability coefficient. This is specifically manifested as a 12.18-fold enhancement in permeability coefficients as cooling rates decrease from 0.5 °C/s to 0.005 °C/s. As the temperature gradient increases, the permeability coefficients increase. The minimum enhancement magnitude in the permeability coefficient was recorded at −75 °C. A decrease in the cooling rate leads to an increase in the permeability coefficient, particularly under high frozen temperature conditions. Utilizing the Kozeny–Carman permeability coefficient equation, a predictive model for the permeability coefficient of thawed soil was developed. In practical AGF projects, any freezing pattern can be represented as a combination of different cooling rates. By applying this predictive model, the permeability coefficient of thawed soil under any freezing pattern can be simulated using the corresponding combination of cooling rates. This study provides a valuable reference for predicting thaw settlement following artificial freezing construction.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/753freezing patternscooling rateartificial ground freezingthawed soilpermeability coefficient
spellingShingle Zhen Wang
Haoran Wang
Xiaohui Ni
Ming Wu
Shu Zhu
Semaierjiang Maimaitiyusupu
Zhende Zhu
Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open Frozen
Buildings
freezing patterns
cooling rate
artificial ground freezing
thawed soil
permeability coefficient
title Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open Frozen
title_full Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open Frozen
title_fullStr Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open Frozen
title_full_unstemmed Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open Frozen
title_short Experimental Study on the Influence of Cooling Rates on the Permeability Coefficient of Thawed Soil After Open Frozen
title_sort experimental study on the influence of cooling rates on the permeability coefficient of thawed soil after open frozen
topic freezing patterns
cooling rate
artificial ground freezing
thawed soil
permeability coefficient
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/5/753
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