Influence of In-situ Cryogenic Freezing on Thermal and Mechanical Characteristics of Korean Marine Clay

Abstract

The artificial ground freezing (AGF) method has been used in many geotechnical engineering applications such as temporary excavation support, underpinning and groundwater cutoff. The AGF method utilizes a refrigerant such as liquid nitrogen or brine, circulating through embedded freezing pipes in order to freeze the ground. In this paper, two in-situ cryogenic freezing experiments (i.e., single freezing-pipe test and frozen-wall formation test) were performed using liquid nitrogen to simulate the AGF in a Korean marine clay deposit, in which the freezing rate was evaluated. The thermal conductivity of frozen and unfrozen marine clay was evaluated by performing typical laboratory experiments. In addition, the strength and stiffness of frozen-thawed deposits were comparatively measured by sounding tests (i.e., piezocone penetration test and lateral loading test). The freezing rate of the frozen-wall formation test in the Korean marine clay deposit was approximately twice as high as that of the single freezing pipe test. Compared to the original marine clay deposit, the frozen-thawed marine clay showed a significant reduction in strength and stiffness.