The Use of RBBC to Evaluate the Behavior of Cohesive Soils Undergoing One Cycle of Freeze-Thaw Performed under Various Stress Conditions

Previous research from various sources indicated that significant changes in engineering behavior of cohesive soils may occur if the soil undergoes cycles of freezing and thawing. Understanding this behavior would be very useful for engineering practice as the soils subjected to freeze-thaw cycles is a common occurrence during construction and subsequent maintenance, especially in the cold region. This research effort focused on resedimented Boston Blue Clay (RBBC). Specimens were subjected to one freeze-thaw cycle under two stress conditions: freezing/thawing under no stresses and freezing/thawing while under an applied vertical stress. The goal of the effort was to evaluate changes in stress-strain-strength behaviors of these specimens via unconfined compression (UC) tests and find correlations between the behavior of soil and the applied stresses during freeze-thaw that may be used in engineering practice.