A novel thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) coupling model grounded in thermodynamic dissipation theory was established to unravel the intricate behavior of unsaturated sulfate-saline soils during cooling crystallization. The model quantifies energy transfer and dissipation during crystallization and introduces a method to calculate the amount of sulfate crystallization. It intricately captures the interdependencies between crystallization, pore water pressure, crystallization pressure and volumetric expansion, while also accounting for the dynamic feedback of latent heat from phase transitions on heat conduction. The reliability of the model was validated through experimental data. Numerical simulations explored the effects of cooling paths, thermal conductivity, initial salt content and initial porosity on the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties. The model provides theoretical support for optimizing the engineering design and facility maintenance of sulfatesaline soils.

Salinization of road base aggregates poses a critical challenge to the performance of coastal roads, as the intrusion of chlorine salts adversely affects the stability and durability of pavement structures. To investigate the cyclic behavior of salinized road base aggregates under controlled solution concentration, c, and crystallization degree, omega, a series of unsaturated cyclic tests were conducted with a large-scale triaxial apparatus. The results showed that variations in solution concentration had a negligible influence on the resilient modulus of road base aggregates, and no significant differences were observed in their shakedown behavior. However, the long-term deformational response of the aggregates was affected by the precipitation of crystalline salt. At low crystallization degrees, a significant increase in accumulated axial strain and a decrease in resilient modulus were observed with increasing omega. Once the crystallization degree exceeded a critical threshold (omega(c)), there was a reduction in accumulated strain and an increase in resilient modulus. The precipitation of crystalline salt also disrupted the shakedown behavior of road base aggregates. During the nascent stages of crystallization (omega < 0.33), the presence of fine crystalline powders and clusters in the saltwater mixture destabilized the soil skeleton, resulting in a transition from the plastic shakedown stage to the plastic creep stage. This poses potential risks to the long-term characteristics and durability of the road base courses.

Severe scaling and spalling are commonly observed on tunnel lining surfaces in sulfate-rich environments. Due to humidity gradients, sulfate solution in rock fissures migrates through capillary action to the concrete exposed face, leading to physical crystallization precipitation at free-face zone and chemical sulfate attack at soil-facing zone, resulting in concrete expansion and crack. Existing models focus on full immersion or wet-dry cycles, which have obvious errors in predicting concrete damage under similar partial immersion. Considering the time- varying characteristics of saturation, porosity, calcium leaching and crack, a transport-reaction-expansion model for lining concrete under dual sulfate attacks and water evaporation was established. The spatiotemporal distribution of phase composition and the influence of modeling parameters on concrete expansion were revealed. The expansion strain caused by dual sulfate attacks and changes in the water evaporation zone was discussed. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the durability design of lining concrete in sulfate- rich environment.

Ice cementation and ice-substrate adfreeze force are the primary contributors to the high bearing capacity of pile foundations in cold regions and the stability of frozen walls in areas subjected to artificial freezing. Given the significant temperature sensitivity of ice's shear rheology, engineering structures in ice or ice-rich soils continue to deform even under constant external loads. A thorough understanding of shear creep and the long-term adfreeze force at the ice-substrate interface is essential for predicting the continuous deformation of these structures. However, research into the shear creep behavior at frozen interfaces has historically been constrained by the precision of temperature control in experimental settings and the complexity of load paths in shear testing devices. In this study, a temperature- and stress-control device for interface shear creep is assembled firstly, and multilevel loading-unloading creep tests on steel pipes embedded in layered frozen ice were conducted. Through the decoupling of deformation progression, the viscoelastic and viscoplastic shear behaviors at the steel-ice interface under various temperatures and shear stresses were characterized, the principle of sustainable interfacial shear creep along with its underlying physical mechanism were proposed. Subsequently, with the aid of a modified nonlinear Burger model, various interfacial shear creep parameters were derived. Results reveal that the interfacial generalized shear modulus continuously improves but with a gradually weakening degree until a point of accelerating creep is reached. Additionally, the long-term adfreeze force is found to be less than half of the short-term strength, which significantly decreases as the temperature approaches the water phase transition zone. Interestingly, the stress exponent associated with the interfacial steady creep rate is considerably smaller than that predicted by Glen's law. This research provides a theoretical basis instrumental in the engineering design in cold regions and those structures employing artificial freezing techniques.

As a key cultural relic protection unit in China, the site of the Lidu Shochu Workshop has suffered deformation damage such as structural loosening and material deterioration following archaeological excavations. By means of on-site geological investigation, engineering geological mapping, drilling and indoor tests, the geotechnical type and spatial distribution characteristics, geotechnical setting and chemical properties of water and soil of the site where the Lidu Shochu Workshop was located were studied, and the main destruction mechanisms of the site remains based on the structural characteristics of the geotechnical setting were analyzed in depth. The results of the present study show that: (1) The site remains is subject to a strong alternating wet and dry conditions due to the site's location within the influence of perched water, the increased evaporation caused by the archaeological excavation that removed the upper layers of rock and soil of the site remains, which allowed for the continuous upward transport of perched water by capillary action, and the dynamic changes in the water table; (2) Due to the compartmentalization of the surrounding setting and the low lateral runoff, the perched water tends to accumulate more soluble salts that lead to a higher mineralization; (3) During the upward transport of water by capillary action, the soluble salts in the perched water are concentrated, crystallized and precipitated under evaporation, resulting in the crystallization of salts on the masonry surface of the site proper, which are mainly magnesium sulphate and calcium sulphate (gypsum); (4) In the crystallization process, magnesium sulphate and calcium sulphate (gypsum) swell in volume and corrode and destroy brick, sandstone and bonding materials, resulting in plaster disruption, weakening or failure of the bond, which lead to structural loosening, spalling and deformation.