Dynamic behavior of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway embankment in permafrost regions under trained-induced vertical loads

The unfrozen water content and ice content of frozen soil change continuously with varying temperatures, resulting in the temperature dependence of mechanical properties of frozen soil. Thus the dynamic behavior of embankment in permafrost regions under train loading also alters with seasons. Based on a series of strong-motion tests that were carried out on the traditional embankment of Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR) in permafrost regions, the acceleration waveforms recorded at the embankment shoulder and slope toes were obtained. Testing results show an obvious attenuation effect on the vertical train loading from road shoulder to slope toes. Furthermore, numerical simulations of a traditional embankment under vertical train loading in different seasons were conducted, and the dynamic behavior of the embankment was described. The results show that the vibration attenuation in the cold season is greater than that in the warm season. The maximum acceleration of vibration drops to about 5% when the train vibration load is transferred through the embankment into the permafrost, and the high-frequency components are absorbed when the vibration transmits downward. Moreover, the dynamic stress under the dynamic train loading decreases exponentially with an increasing depth in different seasons. The results can be a reference for design and maintenance of embankments in permafrost regions.     

Deformation and failure modes of composite foundation with sub-embankment plain concrete piles

With the development of high-speed railway in China, composite foundation with rigid piles has become a standard solution of meeting the high requirements of stability and post-construction settlement ...     

Analysis of the effects of rising temperature for embankments under seismic loads in cold regions

The effect of temperature rising for frozen soil because of dynamic load was investigated by indoor tests.Roadway and railway embankments are always loaded by dynamic loads such as earthquakes and vehicles.Because the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is a re-gion where earthquakes occur frequently,it is essential to consider the temperature-rising effect of earthquakes or vehicles on railway and road embankment.In this paper and according to the theories of heat transfer and dynamic equilibrium equations,as-suming frozen soil as thermal elastic-viscoplastic material,taking the combination of thermal and mechanical stresses into account,we present the numerical formulae of this dynamic problem,and the computer program of the two-dimensional finite element is written.Using the program,the dynamic response analyses for embankments loaded by earthquake are worked out.Analysis in-dicated that the temperature-rising effect result from earthquakes for embankment in nonuniform distribution in some small areas,the maximum rising temperature is 0.16 ?C for consideration in this paper.     

Test on dynamic characteristics of subgrade of heavy-haul railway in cold regions

Dynamic characteristics of heavy-haul railway subgrade under vibratory loading in cold regions are investigated via low-temperature dynamic triaxial tests with multi-stage cyclic loading process. The relationship between dynamic shear stress and dynamic shear strain of frozen soil of subgrade under train loading and the influence of freezing temperatures on dynamic constitutive relation, dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio are observed in this study. Test results show that the dynamic constitutive relations of the frozen soils with different freezing temperatures comply with the hyperbolic model, in which model parameters a and b decrease with increasing freezing temperature. The dynamic shear modulus of the frozen soils decreases with increasing dynamic shear strains initially, followed by a relatively smooth attenuation tendency, whereas increases with decreasing freezing temperatures. The damping ratios decrease with decreasing freezing temperatures. Two linear functions are defined to express the linear relationships between dynamic shear modulus (damping ratio) and freezing temperature, respectively, in which corresponding linear coefficients are obtained through multiple regression analysis of test data.     

Laboratory investigation on the mechanical behavior of ice-saturated frozen loess

To investigate the mechanical properties of ice-saturated frozen soil, a series of triaxial tests under various confining pressures（0.5 to 9.0 MPa） on ice-saturated frozen loess with ice content of 23.7% were carried out at a temperature-6 °C, and at 1.25 mm/min of loading rate. The triaxial tests include two loading modes, one with monotonic loading（i.e., triaxial compression）, and another with static cycle loading. The test results under triaxial compression show that the strength and deformation behaviors of ice-saturated frozen loess are affected by confining pressure. According to the test results of triaxial loading-unloading cycle test, the elastic modulus evolution with the number of cycles under different confining pressures are analyzed.     

Monitoring and analysis of ground temperature and deformation within Qinghai-Tibet Highway subgradein permafrost region

In order to study the stability of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway embankment at Chumaerhe in the permafrost region of northwest China, the ground temperature and deformation at different depths were monitored under the left and right shoulders of the embankment where thermosyphons were set up only on the left shoulder. Based on the monitored data, characteristics of ground temperature and deformation of the left and right shoulders are analyzed and discussed. The results show that the start time of freezing or thawing of the seasonal active layer was about one to two months later than that of the embankment body itself. The stability of each shoulder was mainly controlled by the settlement of different soil layers,whereasfrost heave of soil had scarcely any effect on the stability of the embankment. For the left shoulder, the settlement was mainly influenced by the seasonal active layer and then by the embankment body itself,due to freeze-thaw cycles which may change the soil properties; however, the permafrost layer remained fairly stable. For the right shoulder, creep of the warm permafrost layer was the main influence factor on its stability, followed by settlement of embankment body itself, and finally settlement of the seasonal active layer. Compared with the deformation of the left shoulder, the permafrost layer under the right shoulder was less stable, which indicates that the thermosyphons had a significantly positive effect on the stability of warm permafrost.     

Vibration characteristics of frozen soil under moving track loads

Vibration due to moving traffic loads is an important factor which induces frozen soil damage; this paper analyzed these vibration characteristics of frozen soil foundation under track loads. Firstly, seismic observation array(SOA) technology was applied to monitor the three dimensional dynamic characteristics of frozen soil under movable track load in a permafrost region and seasonal frozen soil area. Secondly, a numerical simulation for the response of frozen soil under movable track load was performed based on finite element analysis(FEA). The results show that dynamic characteristics of frozen soil in perpendicular and parallel direction of the track are obviously different. In the direction perpendicular to the track, the vertical acceleration amplitude had an abrupt increase in the 9–10 m from the track line. In the direction parallel to the track, the acceleration in vertical and horizontal direction had a quick attenuation compared to the other direction. Lastly, various parameters were analyzed for the purpose of controlling the dynamic response of frozen soil and the vibration attenuation in frozen soil layer.     

Characteristics of dynamic strain and strength of frozen silt under long-term dynamic loading

The dynamic strain and strength of frozen silt under long-term dynamic loading are studied based on creep tests. Three groups of tests are performed (Groups I, II, and III). The initial deviator stresses of Groups I and II are same and the dynamic stress amplitude of Group II is twice as that of Group I. The minimum value of dynamic stress in Group III is near zero and its dynamic stress amplitude is larger than those of Groups I and II. In tests of all three groups there are similar change trends of accumulative strain, but with different values. The accumulative strain curves consist of three stages, namely, the initial stage, the steady stage, and the gradual flow stage. In the tests of Groups I and II, during the initial stage with vibration times less than 50 loops the strain amplitude decreased with the increase of vibration times and then basically remained constant, fluctuating in a very small range. For the tests of Group III, during the initial and steady stages the strain amplitude decreased with the increase of vibration times, and then increased rapidly in the gradual flow stage. The dynamic strength of frozen silt decreases and trends to terminal dynamic strength as the vibration times of loading increase.     

Experimental research on acoustic wave velocity of frozen soils during the uniaxial loading process

Ultrasonic P-wave tests of frozen silt and frozen sand were conducted during uniaxial loading by using an RSM^®-SY5(T) nonmetal ultrasonic test meter to study the velocity characteristics of P-waves. The experimental results indicate that the P-wave velocity is affected by soil materials, temperature, and external loads, so the P-wave velocity is different in frozen silt and frozen sand, but all decrease with an increase of temperature and increase at first and then decrease with strain during the loading process. There is an exponential relationship between uniaxial compressive strength and P-wave velocity, and the correlation between them is very good. The characteristic parameters of acoustic waves can, to some extent, reflect the development of internal cracks in frozen soils during loading.     

The effect of subgrade inhomogeneity induced by freeze-thaw on the dynamic response of track-subgrade system

The developed vertical coupling model of Vehicle-Track-Subgrade which considered subgrade layer vibration is present-ed. The equations of motion for the ballast, top and bottom subgrade layers are pres...     

Experimental study on DX pile performance in frozen soils under lateral loading

Experiments about working mechanism and mechanical characteristics of the DX model pile foundation under lateral dynamic and static loading were conducted by using a model system of the dynamic frozen ...     

Determination of long-term strength of frozen loess after numerous freeze-thaw cycles

In order to determine the changing rule of long-term frozen soil strength and elucidate the connection between long-term strength and soil physical properties,frozen loess was subjected to 4,6,8,10,and 50 freeze-thaw cycles,under closed-state conditions in a constant-temperature box.The frozen samples were tested on a spherical template indenter,and the results show that under the effect of repeated freeze-thaw cycles,the long-term strength of frozen loess decreased; changes in the mechanical property indices were highly unstable during the first 10 cycles; the soil strength and density were the greatest at the eighth cycle while the void ratio was the smallest; and after eight cycles all of the indices had less fluctuation and certain rising or falling tendencies.By converting the number of freeze-thaw cycles into elapsed time in the tests,three different forecasting methods of long-term soil strength could be assessed and the soil equivalent cohesive force after 10 years,20 years,or 30 years could be estimated.     

Finite element analysis on deformation of highembankment in heavy-haul railway subjected to freeze-thaw cycles

Finiteelement simulations are increasingly providing a versatile environment for this topic. In this study, a two-dimensional finite element analysis is conducted to predict the deformation of highembankment in Bazhun heavy-haul railway, China. A recently developed nonlinear softening-type constitutive model is utilized to model the behavior of subgrade filling materials subjected to freeze-thaw cycles. For the convenience of practical application, the dynamic loading induced by a vehicle is treated as a quasi-static axle load. The deformation of this embankmentwith different moisture content under freeze-thaw cycles is compared. The results show that when subjected to the first freeze-thaw cycle, the embankmentexperienced significant deformation variations. Maximum deformation was usually achieved after the embankment with optimum moisture content experienced six freeze-thaw cycles, however, the embankment with moisture content of 8.0% and 9.5% deforms continuously even after experiencing almost ten freeze-thaw cycles. Overall, this study provides a simple nonlinear finite element approach for calculating the deformation of the embankmentinchanging climate conditions.     

A full-scale field experiment to study the thermal-deformation process of widening highway embankments in permafrost regions

As one of the widely used upgrading way in road engineering, the widening embankment(WE) has suffered evident differential deformation, which is even severer for highway in permafrost regions due to the temperature sensitivity of frozen soil and the heat absorption effect of the asphalt pavement. Given this issue, a full-scale experimental highway of WE was performed along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway(QTH) to investigate the differential deformation features and its developing law. The continuous three years' monitoring data taken from the experimental site, including the ground temperature and the layered deformation of WE and original embankment(OE), were used to analyze the thermal-deformation process. The results indicate that the widening part presented the remarkable thermal disturbance to the existing embankment(EE). The underlying permafrost was in a noteworthy degradation state, embodying the apparent decrease of the permafrost table and the increase of the ground temperature. Correspondingly, the heat disruption induced by widening led to a much higher deformation at the widening side compared to the original embankment, showing a periodic stepwise curve. Specifically, the deformation mainly occurred in the junction of the EE and the widening part, most of which was caused by the thawing consolidation near the original permafrost table. In contrast, the deformation of EE mainly attributed to the compression of the active layer. Furthermore, it was the deformation origination differences that resulted in the differential deformation of WE developed gradually during the monitoring period, the maximum of which reached up to 64 mm.     

Study on temperature field and settlement of thawing soil under static and dynamic loading

A series of tests were conducted to analyze temperature field distribution and thawing settlement of a thawing soil under static and dynamic loading at various cooling and thawing temperatures. The res...     

The cooling effect of crushed rock structures on permafrost under an embankment

Based on the analysis and comparison of soil temperature, thermal regime and permafrost table under the experimental embankment of crushed rock structures in Beiluhe, results show that crushed rock structures provide an extensive cooling effect, which produces a rising permafrost table and decreasing soil temperatures. The rise of the permafrost table under the embankment ranges from an increase of 1.08 m to 1.67 m, with an average of 1.27 m from 2004 to 2007. Mean annual soil temperatures under the crushed rock layer embankment decreased significantly from 2005 to 2007, with average decreases of ?1.03 °C at the depth of 0.5 m, ?1.14 °C at the depth of 1.5 m, and ?0.5 °C at the depth of 5 m. During this period, mean annual soil temperatures under the crushed rock cover embankment showed a slight decrease at shallow depths, with an average decrease of ?0.2 °C at the depth of 0.5 m and 1.5 m, but a slight rise at the depth of 5 m. After the crushed rock structures were closed or crammed with sand, the cooling effect of the crushed rock layer embankment was greatly reduced and that of the crushed rock cover embankment was just slightly reduced.     

Stress relaxation of warm frozen soil under drained or undrained conditions

To investigate the influence of drainage conditions on stress relaxation characteristics of warm frozen soil, a series of laboratory tests were carried out under drained and undrained conditions. The results indicate that confining pressure obviously influences the relaxation process of warm frozen soil. Under undrained condition, with increase in confining pressure, the critical relaxation duration tends to grow as well as instantaneous relaxation. But the relaxation rate is sensitive to confining pressure in the initial stage, and with further development, the effect tends to diminish. Under drained condition, the relaxation rate is greater than that under undrained condition in the initial stage but with the development of relaxation, the difference decreases. The volumetric deformation of warm frozen clay under drained condition is much larger than that under undrained condition.     

Test results of railway ballast for bearing capacity calculations

This paper presents the results of field and laboratory tests of railway ballast.Field tests were aimed to study vibrational acceleration of ballast particles and ballast layer stressed state in terms of train traffic with heavy axle loads.The test results are vibrational acceleration and stress values distribution in ballast layer and experimental relationships of vertical and horizontal vibroaccelerations damping in terms of train operation with axle load up to 300 kN.Laboratory stabilometer tests were directed to study the change of ballast strength properties due to vibrodynamic impact and shows that for dynamic loading with 10,25,55 Hz frequencies vibrodynamic impact influences strength properties insignificantly and coincides with the accuracy of test equipment.Stated test results provide references for calculation of ballast and sub-ballast bearing capacity.     

Deformation properties of chloride saline soil under action of a low-temperature environment and different loads

To find the deformation properties of chloride saline soil under the influence of a low temperature environment and different loads,two types of chloride saline soil were selected and their deformation process was tested in the laboratory and analyzed during the cooling process in the sensitive cryogenic temperature range.The research results show that high-chloride-salt saline soil underwent little volume change under the no-load condition during the cooling process.Under staticload and dynamic-load conditions,different degrees of settlement deformation occurred;throughout the entire cooling process,another chloride saline soil with a high proportion of sulfate salt underwent volume expansion under no-load and static-load conditions.Under the no-load condition,a certain degree of settlement deformation occurred.Deformation properties were evaluated at different time points during the cooling process for two kinds of chloride saline soil.Finally, deformation characteristics of chloride saline soil were analyzed from the perspective of salt type and crystallization variation under the action of a low-temperature environment and different loads.     

Evaluation of creep models for frozen soils

To model the creep behavior of frozen soils, three creep stages have to be reasonably described (i.e., primary, secondary and tertiary stages). Based on a series of uniaxial creep test results, three creep models were evaluated. It was shown that hypoplastic creep model has high prediction accuracy for both creep strain and strain rate in a wide stress range. The elementary rheological creep model can only be used for creep strains at low stress levels, because of the restraints of its mathematical construction. For the soft soil creep model, the progressive change from the primary to secondary and tertiary stages cannot be captured at high stress levels. Therefore, the elementary rheological and soft soil creep models can only be used for low stress levels without a tertiary stage; while the hypoplastic creep model is applicable at high stress levels with the three creep stages.