The Coefficient of Lateral Earth Pressure K 0 Subjected to Freezing and Thawing for Granular Soils

The coefficient of lateral earth pressure at rest, K0, is an important state soil variable that describes in-situ stress state and mechanical behavior of soils. K0 is commonly used for the design of various geotechnical structures and analytical, numerical simulation in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. When soils are in moisturized condition, volume change of soil skeleton takes place through the process of freezing and thawing, which may affect the stress state in soil. The effect of freezing and thawing would be particularly important for retaining structures that include surfaces directly exposed to air temperature. As a climate change-related geotechnical issue, the effect of freezing and thawing on the stress state should be addressed and further investigated. In this paper, the experimental test results from the thin-wall oedometer tests are described, which were obtained for granular soils with various K0 conditions subjected to freezing and thawing. Changes in K0 value for unfrozen, frozen and thawed conditions are compared and analyzed.