Effect of freezing and thawing on the physical properties of red sandstone

For the growing engineering needs in cold regions, some red sandstone rocks were retrieved from the field and processed into samples with international standards, and then freeze-thaw cycle tests were performed under open water saturated state in this paper. The tests were conducted based on experimental research and in the background of major rock engineering in cold regions. By observing the process of freeze-thaw damage deterioration and the mechanism of freeze-thaw damage, variation of rock mass, volume, density, and longitudinal wave velocity with the freeze-thaw cycles was discussed and the mechanism of freeze-thaw damage deterioration was analyzed. Four deterioration models of freeze-thaw damage for red sandstone, particle spalling model, crack pattern model, shedding model, and fracture model, were developed. With the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the rock mass, volume, and density decreased, and then P-wave velocity decreased.