Weihang Huaa, Huimei Zhangb, Yongtao Wangc,*, Zengle Lia and Shiguan Chena
aCollege of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710054, China
bDepartment of Mechanics, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710054, China
cTransportation Institute of Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
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The mode II fracture toughness of a frozen silty clay was investigated as a function of the temperature and water content by performing a series of asymmetric four-point bending tests on pre-notched beam specimens with different temperatures and water contents. The specimens were prepared using a specially designed procedure, and the displacement of each specimen surface was observed using digital image correlation. The fracture mechanics of the frozen soil were numerically simulated using the extended finite element method (XFEM) in the Abaqus environment. The mode II fracture toughness of the frozen silty clay increased with decreasing temperature and increasing water content. The mode II fracture toughness increased by 22.5% on average as the temperature decreased from −5 °C to −10 °C and by 8.2% on average as the temperature decreased from −10 °C to −15 °C. The fracture toughness increased by 22% on average as the water content increased from 20% to 23% and by 5.3% on average as the water content increased from 23% to 25%. For specimens with a relatively high temperature and low water content, the variation in the transverse displacement at the crack tip was larger than the variation in shear displacement. Consequently, discontinuous transverse cracks first developed at the prefabricated crack tip. The loading rod load-displacement curves obtained from numerical simulation were consistent with those obtained from physical testing, confirming the applicability of XFEM for simulating the mode II fracture toughness and crack propagation in frozen soils. Our results provide new ideas for the design and construction of engineering structures in cold regions. The results also provide a theoretical reference for the numerical simulation of the mode II fracture process of frozen soils.
Keywords: Frozen silty clay, Mode II fracture toughness, Digital image correlation, Extended finite element method.
2024; 25(6): 941-953
Published on Dec 31, 2024
Transportation Institute of Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
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