Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnO

Silty clay is widely distributed in seasonally frozen zones in China and frequently engages in engineering projects. Nevertheless, it exhibits significant frost susceptibility and generates substantial related freezing damage. To address this problem, this study investigates the impact of nano-zinc...

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Main Authors: Yaning Zhang, Laifa Wang, Xinyan Wang, Feng Ming, Zhanxu Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:Advances in Civil Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/adce/7050182
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author Yaning Zhang
Laifa Wang
Xinyan Wang
Feng Ming
Zhanxu Wang
author_facet Yaning Zhang
Laifa Wang
Xinyan Wang
Feng Ming
Zhanxu Wang
author_sort Yaning Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Silty clay is widely distributed in seasonally frozen zones in China and frequently engages in engineering projects. Nevertheless, it exhibits significant frost susceptibility and generates substantial related freezing damage. To address this problem, this study investigates the impact of nano-zinc oxide (ZnO) on silty clay’s frost heave characteristic. We conducted tests on silty clay with varying nano-ZnO contents, assessing plasticity limit, liquid limit, frost heave, and uniaxial compressive strength. The findings reveal that: (1) the addition of nano-ZnO can decrease the free water content, and result in both the plastic limit and the liquid limit increase, and further accelerate the freezing process, which is helpful to mitigate the frost heave caused by water migration; (2) the frost heave ratio decreases with increasing nano-ZnO content within the tested range, 4.0% addition of nano-ZnO can significantly reduce frost heave by 66.96%, and transform the silty clay from extreme frost heave to frost heave; (3) with the nano-ZnO content increases, the uniaxial compressive strengths of the specimen initially increases (0%–3.0%) and subsequently decreases (4.0%), and the brittleness also becomes more pronounced. According to the results of mechanical and frost heave tests, the optimal content of nano-ZnO is ascertained to be 3.0%. The results of this study provide a promising solution to mitigate the frost heave of silty clay, particularly in regions with limited coarse-grained soil.
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spelling doaj-art-a3dc432b5d8f4e8db5a8c5bd1be1d33d2024-11-30T05:00:04ZengWileyAdvances in Civil Engineering1687-80942024-01-01202410.1155/adce/7050182Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnOYaning Zhang0Laifa Wang1Xinyan Wang2Feng Ming3Zhanxu Wang4Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil EngineeringQinghai Provincial Traffic Control Construction Engineering Group Co. LtdQinghai Provincial Traffic Control Construction Engineering Group Co. LtdKey Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil EngineeringQinghai Guoluo Highway Engineering Construction Co. LtdSilty clay is widely distributed in seasonally frozen zones in China and frequently engages in engineering projects. Nevertheless, it exhibits significant frost susceptibility and generates substantial related freezing damage. To address this problem, this study investigates the impact of nano-zinc oxide (ZnO) on silty clay’s frost heave characteristic. We conducted tests on silty clay with varying nano-ZnO contents, assessing plasticity limit, liquid limit, frost heave, and uniaxial compressive strength. The findings reveal that: (1) the addition of nano-ZnO can decrease the free water content, and result in both the plastic limit and the liquid limit increase, and further accelerate the freezing process, which is helpful to mitigate the frost heave caused by water migration; (2) the frost heave ratio decreases with increasing nano-ZnO content within the tested range, 4.0% addition of nano-ZnO can significantly reduce frost heave by 66.96%, and transform the silty clay from extreme frost heave to frost heave; (3) with the nano-ZnO content increases, the uniaxial compressive strengths of the specimen initially increases (0%–3.0%) and subsequently decreases (4.0%), and the brittleness also becomes more pronounced. According to the results of mechanical and frost heave tests, the optimal content of nano-ZnO is ascertained to be 3.0%. The results of this study provide a promising solution to mitigate the frost heave of silty clay, particularly in regions with limited coarse-grained soil.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/adce/7050182
spellingShingle Yaning Zhang
Laifa Wang
Xinyan Wang
Feng Ming
Zhanxu Wang
Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnO
Advances in Civil Engineering
title Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnO
title_full Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnO
title_fullStr Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnO
title_full_unstemmed Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnO
title_short Experimental Study on the Frost Heave Characteristics of Silt Clay Modified With Hydrophobic Nano-ZnO
title_sort experimental study on the frost heave characteristics of silt clay modified with hydrophobic nano zno
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/adce/7050182
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AT xinyanwang experimentalstudyonthefrostheavecharacteristicsofsiltclaymodifiedwithhydrophobicnanozno
AT fengming experimentalstudyonthefrostheavecharacteristicsofsiltclaymodifiedwithhydrophobicnanozno
AT zhanxuwang experimentalstudyonthefrostheavecharacteristicsofsiltclaymodifiedwithhydrophobicnanozno