Influence of freeze-thaw action on soil water characteristics of crushable volcanic coarse-grained soil

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of freeze-thaw action on the soil water characteristics of crushable granular materials. An unsaturated triaxial apparatus, which could apply freeze-thaw sequence to a test specimen, was newly developed, and a series of water retention tests for a crushable volcanic coarse-grained soil and non-crushable sand exposed to various freeze-thaw histories were performed. The change in the shape of water retention curves due to freeze-thawing and the relationship between degree of particle breakage and freeze-thaw history are examined. Results revealed that since particle breakage for crushable volcanic coarse-grained soil increased with an increase in freeze-thawing cycles, the freeze-thaw action has strong influences on the soil water characteristics even if the soil lacks in frost heave characteristics.