Influence of freeze-thaw action on hydraulic behavior of unsaturated volcanic coarse-grained soils

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of freeze thaw action on the water retention permeability characteristics of volcanic coarse grained soils under unsaturated conditions in order to examine the hydraulic behavior of volcanic soil during the snow-melting season. In this study, a series of water retention, permeability, and slaking tests on three types of crushable volcanic coarse-grained soils, differing in their degrees of particle crushability, were performed under various degrees of saturation and freeze thaw histories, while comparing the test results with those of non-crushable sand. Based on the experimental results, the effects of freeze thaw action on the water retentivity, permeability, and particle breakage were examined. The test results indicated that freeze thaw action has a strong influence on the hydraulic behavior of crushable volcanic coarse-grained soils under unsaturated conditions, even if the soil is a non-frost-susceptible geomaterial. (C) 2016 The Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.