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Analysis of the effect of freeze–thaw cycles on the degradation of mechanical parameters and slope stability

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Abstract

The changes that occur to the physicomechanical features of rocks during freeze–thaw cycles are crucial to research on the stability of slope engineering in cold regions. In this study, granite specimens underwent freeze–thaw cycling and uniaxial compression testing. The mechanics of the freeze–thaw deterioration were analyzed based on the changes that occurred in the uniaxial compression strength, stress–strain curve, freeze–thaw coefficient, and degree of weathering of the rocks during freeze–thaw cycles. The results were applied in an analysis of the slope stability of a rock mass in an open-pit mine, and the safety factors of the slope before and after freeze–thaw cycling were computed with the Hoek–Brown empirical criterion. The results show that the mass of the granite increased and its uniaxial compression strength decreased after freeze–thaw cycling. The safety factor of the slope decreased due to the freeze–thaw cycling. This research thus shows the importance of studying the mechanics of slope engineering deterioration in cold regions.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 41502327 and 51474252), the Special Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (no. 20130162120012), and the Innovation Driven Plan of Central South University (no. 2015CX005). These sources of funding are all gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China

    Jielin Li, Keping Zhou & Weijie Liu

  2. Department of Shuanglin Town Land and Resources Management, Huzhou, China

    Yamin Zhang

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  1. Jielin Li
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  2. Keping Zhou
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  4. Yamin Zhang
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Correspondence to Jielin Li.

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Li, J., Zhou, K., Liu, W. et al. Analysis of the effect of freeze–thaw cycles on the degradation of mechanical parameters and slope stability. Bull Eng Geol Environ 77, 573–580 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-017-1013-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-017-1013-8

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