Effects of Freeze–Thaw and Dry–Wet Cycles on the Collapsibility of the Ili Loess with Variable Initial Moisture Contents

Lilong Cheng, Zizhao Zhang (), Chenxin Liu, Yongliang Zhang, Qianli Lv, Yanyang Zhang, Kai Chen, Guangming Shi and Junpeng Huang
Additional contact information
Lilong Cheng: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Zizhao Zhang: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Chenxin Liu: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Yongliang Zhang: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Qianli Lv: School of Resources and Earth Sciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Yanyang Zhang: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Kai Chen: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Guangming Shi: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China
Junpeng Huang: School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830017, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: Exposed to seasonal climate changes, the loess in the Ili region of Xinjiang, which has variable engineering properties, frequently undergoes freezing–thawing (F-T) and wetting–drying (W-D) cycles. In the present research, a series of uniaxial compression tests were conducted to investigate the collapsibility characteristics of the representative loess slope in the Ili region. In parallel, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests were conducted. The test results obtained from the research indicated that both F-T cycles and W-D cycles exacerbate the deterioration of the loess, with the most severe effects observed after 6–10 cycles. Under the combined physical cycles, the microstructure of the loess progressively evolves from the relatively aggregated state to the dispersed one. Meanwhile, the porosity of the loess exhibited an initial increase with the number of W-D cycles, followed by an obvious decrease. Note that the pattern of the loess experiences fluctuation, which was achieved at the given point with the increased number of F-T cycles. It is suggested that the variability in loess wetting collapse is attributed to the irreversible alteration in the microstructure attributed to the combined cycles. The main reasons for the occurrence of loess collapse are the frost heaving force and the swelling–shrinking action. The impacts of W-D and F-T cycles on the loess obtained from this research can make a contribution to the in-depth understanding about loess collapse in the Ili valley.

Keywords: freeze–thaw; dry–wet; collapsibility; loess; seasonal frozen ground areas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1931/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1931/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:11:p:1931-:d:1522554

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().