Earth’s Cryosphere, 2019, Vol. XXIII, No. 6, p. 3-6
THE “WATER CRYSTALLIZATION-ONSET” METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE FREEZING POINT OF SOILS
V.S. Kolunin1,2, Z.A. Ishkova1
1 Earth Cryosphere Institute, Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS, 86, Malygina str., Tyumen, 625026, Russia; z.ishkova@yandex.ru
2 Tyumen Industrial University, 38, Volodarskogo str., Tyumen, 625000, Russia; askold@ikz.ru
A new method is proposed for measuring the temperature of water freezing in soils, which is termed the “water crystallization-onset” method. The implemented experiments with kaolin clay at different moisture content allowed to compare the proposed method with the known “supercooling” method. The experiments have revealed that the “water crystallization-onset” method gives higher values of freezing point, as compared to the “supercooling” method. Ice inception in soils at this temperature can cause soil skeleton deformation. The range of soil moisture liable for such processes has been determined.
Water–ice, open-ended pores, phase change, dispersed medium