Effects of Freezing and Thawing Cycles on the Engineering Properties of Soils

In this study, particular engineering characteristics of soil exposed to freezing and thawing cycles were investigated. Low plasticity clay (CL) soil samples (classified according to the USCS soil classification system) were sampled in situ, and some basic properties of these soil samples were investigated by performing sieve analyses, hydrometer tests, specific gravity tests, and liquid, plastic, and shrinkage limits tests. The same tests were also conducted after freezing and thawing cycles. Additionally, scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests to determine the microstructures of the soil samples and energy dispersive X-ray-EDX tests to determine the chemical compositions of the samples were performed. Finally, triaxial compression tests were conducted before and after the freezing and thawing cycles to determine the strength parameters of the soil samples. The experimental results show that the physical and mechanical properties of the soil changed significantly after the freezing and thawing cycles.