Experimental Investigation of Thermal Influence on Shear Strength and Swelling Pressure of Soil Mixtures

Abstract

The influence of temperature on soil behavior has traditionally attracted attention for geotechnical engineers, especially in the design of engineering works and nuclear facilities located in regions with severe cold climates. This research emphasizes exploring how temperature variations affect essential soil properties that are significant for the resilience and long-term stability of geotechnical structures. For this reason, the influence of temperature on the soil’s mechanical and physical attributes was comprehensively evaluated. To achieve this, soil mixtures consisting of two blends prepared as 70% bentonite with 30% sand and 70% sand with 30% bentonite (70B30S and 70S30B) were exposed to temperatures ranging from –45 °C to +105 °C for durations of 24 and 48 h. The study examined how temperature variations affect the mechanical, physical, and mineralogical features of soil through consistency limit tests, direct shear tests, swelling pressure tests, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It was observed that the internal friction angle (Φ) declined as temperature increased in both mixtures, particularly in specimens with higher sand content. Similarly, cohesion (c) values decreased with increasing temperature, more significantly in mixtures with higher bentonite content. Additionally, the consistency limits and swelling pressure decreased as temperature rose. This trend was evident in both mixtures. Swelling pressure results showed that from 20 °C to 105 °C, the pressure rose with temperature in bentonite-rich soils, while it decreased in sand-rich soils. Conversely, at subzero conditions (–10 to –45 °C), swelling pressure increased as temperature decreased in mixtures dominated by bentonite, while it dropped in those rich in sand.