Creep of Frozen Sand Under Isotropic and Deviatoric Components of Stress

Abstract

The creep behavior of frozen soil is being studied by examining its response to changes in the mean normal stress and changes in the deviatoric components of stress, using separate tests. The two response components will then be coupled to provide a model for a general stress state. The paper contains the results of three triaxial compression creep tests on frozen sand (T = −3°C) in which the samples were subjected to changes in the deviatoric components of stress only. Stepwise stress increases were applied for periods up to 1700 hr during which volumetric and axial strains were measured. The samples underwent attenuating creep when subjected to low stress levels and accelerating creep when subjected to higher stress levels, with no indication of a significantly long period of steady-state creep. The samples underwent volume reduction when the axial strains were attenuating and dilated when the axial strain rates began to accelerate.