The effects of freezing on a compacted Winnipeg clay

Abstract

It was undertaken to determine the effect of a sIngle freezing and thawing on the strength and compressibility characteristics of a compacted local clay. lhe soil samples were frozen in a closed system so that during the fleezing process no external source of water was available to the soil. Of particular interest were the results obtained when the moulding moisture content was less than, equal to, or exceeded the optimum moisture content for the compactive efforts used. Two different compactive efforts were considered. Sufficient samples were compacted using standard Proctor compactive effort, and also using modified Proctor compactive effort, to permit identical tests on sets of samples subjected to the one cycle of freezing and thawing, and on seys of samples not subjected to the freezing, for the two compactIve efforts. One dimensional consolidatIon, and undrained triaxial tests including unconfined compression tests were used to indicate the changes in strength and compressibility characteristics caused by the freezing.