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The complex environment in northern China is the main reason for degradation of expansive mudstone below the canals, which resulted in instability and damage of canal slopes. In this study, a serial of laboratory tests was conducted to explore the volume changes and mechanical behaviors of expansive mudstone below the canals in Xinjiang. The experimental program includes wet-dry (WD) and wet-dry-freeze-thaw (WDFT) tests, volume measurement, and unconfined compression tests. The test results show that during the WD cycles, the volume changes of expansive mudstones with a higher dry range would be more significant. The freeze-thaw process in the WDFT cycles resulted in a decrease of volume change ranges when the expansive mudstones had a relatively smaller dry range and a slight increase of volume change ranges when the expansive mudstones had a relatively larger dry range. In the meantime, the stress-strain relationships of expansive mudstones with different dry ranges all presented strain softening under the cycles of WD or WDFT. The first cycle resulted in a significant decrease of failure strength. After seven WD/WDFT cycles, the failure strength of expansive mudstones with different dry ranges decreased by 37.2%∼59.1%. In addition, the freeze-thaw process in the WDFT cycles promoted the softening of the stress-strain relationships and aggravated the failure strength attenuation of expansive mudstones. Through this study, we expect to provide a preliminary basis for the construction and maintenance of expansive mudstone canals in Xinjiang.

Volume Changes and Mechanical Properties of Expansive Mudstone below Canals under Wet-Dry/Wet-Dry-Freeze-Thaw Cycles