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Mechanical Properties and Freeze–Thaw Cycling Degradation of Loess Improved with an Ionic Curing Agent and Cement Composite.

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Title: Mechanical Properties and Freeze–Thaw Cycling Degradation of Loess Improved with an Ionic Curing Agent and Cement Composite.
Authors: Wang, Xingwei1 (AUTHOR), Li, Jiandong1,2 (AUTHOR) jdli368@mail.lzjtu.cn, Wang, Xu1,2 (AUTHOR), Li, Baiwei1,2 (AUTHOR), Zhang, Yanjie1 (AUTHOR), Zuo, Zhen1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Materials (1996-1944). Mar2026, Vol. 19 Issue 6, p1242. 18p.
Subjects: Loess, Cement composites, Porosity, Freeze-thaw cycles, Mechanical behavior of materials, Compressive strength, Soil testing
Geographic Terms: Northwest China
Abstract: To address the engineering problems of high cement content, high brittleness, and weak frost resistance of cement-improved loess in the seasonal frozen soil area of Northwest China, F1 ion curing agent (F1) and cement composite improved loess (FCIL) were used in this paper. Through unconfined compressive (UC) strength tests, consolidated undrained (CU) triaxial shear tests, and microscopic pore characteristics analysis, the mechanical properties, freeze–thaw cycle deterioration law, and microscopic pore structure of FCIL were studied. The effects of cement content (Cc), F1 dosage (CF), number of freeze–thaw cycles (NF-T), and confining pressure (σ3) on the strength, deformation behavior, and pore characteristics of FCIL were analyzed. The synergistic improvement mechanism of FCIL, as well as the freeze–thaw damage mechanism, was elucidated. The results show that Cc is the primary factor controlling the strength of improved loess. The incorporation of F1 can further increase UCS and markedly enhance the failure strain (εf), thereby achieving simultaneous improvements in strength and ductility. An appropriate mix proportion was identified as CF = 0.2 L/m3 and Cc = 6%. After 7 d curing, FCIL exhibited a UCS of 1.35 MPa, a cohesion (c) of 205 kPa, an internal friction angle (φ) of 36.2°, and εf 1.8 times that of loess improved with Cc = 6% cement alone. CU triaxial shear tests indicate that, under all tested conditions, the stress–strain responses of FCIL exhibit σ3-sensitive strain-softening behavior. As Cc and σ3 increase, triaxial peak strength (qmax) and secant modulus (E50) increase significantly. Compared with natural loess (NL), FCIL shows a markedly lower porosity (n), a substantial increase in the proportion of micropores, and reductions in medium and small pores. After multiple freeze–thaw cycles, the evolution of the pore structure is effectively restrained. This indicates that the combined use of F1 and cement promotes the formation of a dense layered stacking structure, significantly improves the microscopic pore-size distribution, and enhances the mechanical performance of loess under freeze–thaw environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Materials (1996-1944) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Mechanical Properties and Freeze–Thaw Cycling Degradation of Loess Improved with an Ionic Curing Agent and Cement Composite.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Materials+%281996-1944%29%22">Materials (1996-1944)</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 19 Issue 6, p1242. 18p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Loess%22">Loess</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cement+composites%22">Cement composites</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Porosity%22">Porosity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Freeze-thaw+cycles%22">Freeze-thaw cycles</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mechanical+behavior+of+materials%22">Mechanical behavior of materials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Compressive+strength%22">Compressive strength</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Soil+testing%22">Soil testing</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Northwest+China%22">Northwest China</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: To address the engineering problems of high cement content, high brittleness, and weak frost resistance of cement-improved loess in the seasonal frozen soil area of Northwest China, F1 ion curing agent (F1) and cement composite improved loess (FCIL) were used in this paper. Through unconfined compressive (UC) strength tests, consolidated undrained (CU) triaxial shear tests, and microscopic pore characteristics analysis, the mechanical properties, freeze–thaw cycle deterioration law, and microscopic pore structure of FCIL were studied. The effects of cement content (Cc), F1 dosage (CF), number of freeze–thaw cycles (NF-T), and confining pressure (σ3) on the strength, deformation behavior, and pore characteristics of FCIL were analyzed. The synergistic improvement mechanism of FCIL, as well as the freeze–thaw damage mechanism, was elucidated. The results show that Cc is the primary factor controlling the strength of improved loess. The incorporation of F1 can further increase UCS and markedly enhance the failure strain (εf), thereby achieving simultaneous improvements in strength and ductility. An appropriate mix proportion was identified as CF = 0.2 L/m3 and Cc = 6%. After 7 d curing, FCIL exhibited a UCS of 1.35 MPa, a cohesion (c) of 205 kPa, an internal friction angle (φ) of 36.2°, and εf 1.8 times that of loess improved with Cc = 6% cement alone. CU triaxial shear tests indicate that, under all tested conditions, the stress–strain responses of FCIL exhibit σ3-sensitive strain-softening behavior. As Cc and σ3 increase, triaxial peak strength (qmax) and secant modulus (E50) increase significantly. Compared with natural loess (NL), FCIL shows a markedly lower porosity (n), a substantial increase in the proportion of micropores, and reductions in medium and small pores. After multiple freeze–thaw cycles, the evolution of the pore structure is effectively restrained. This indicates that the combined use of F1 and cement promotes the formation of a dense layered stacking structure, significantly improves the microscopic pore-size distribution, and enhances the mechanical performance of loess under freeze–thaw environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Materials (1996-1944) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.3390/ma19061242
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 1242
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Loess
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cement composites
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Porosity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Freeze-thaw cycles
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mechanical behavior of materials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Compressive strength
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Soil testing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Northwest China
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Mechanical Properties and Freeze–Thaw Cycling Degradation of Loess Improved with an Ionic Curing Agent and Cement Composite.
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          Name:
            NameFull: Wang, Xingwei
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            NameFull: Li, Jiandong
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            NameFull: Wang, Xu
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            NameFull: Li, Baiwei
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            NameFull: Zhang, Yanjie
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            NameFull: Zuo, Zhen
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            – D: 15
              M: 03
              Text: Mar2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 19961944
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              Value: 19
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            – TitleFull: Materials (1996-1944)
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