Resonant Column Test on the Frozen Silt Soil Modulus and Damping at Different Temperatures

Abstract

The shear modulus and damping ratio of frozen soil are thebasic parameters of its dynamic properties and are often testedwith the dynamic triaxial apparatus. However, the resonantcolumn apparatus is more suitable for the testing at the microstrainlevel. A resonant column apparatus was here used toidentify the varying modes with negative temperature of theinitial shear modulus, modulus ratio, and damping ratio of frozensilt. Correction factor curves indicate that the temperaturehas a great effect on the shear modulus and damping ratio offrozen silt. The curves also show that, within the sensitive stage,the temperature significantly affects the modulus and damping.Within the insensitive stage, the modulus and dampingwere insensitive to the temperature. The experimental resultsand analysis given here provide support for improving seismicdesign codes and offer reasonable parameters for seismicresponse analysis in engineering construction in cold regions.