SOME EFFECTS OF FREEZING AND THAWING ON THE AGGREGATION AND PERMEABILITY OF DISPERSED SOILS

Abstract

The formation of ice crystals in semidispersed soils and bentonite in water produced compact flaky aggregates. The aggregates were stable, often thawing if the materials were high in replaceable Ca, but unstable if high in replaceable Na. Freezing and thawing of columns of moist impermeable Na-saturated soils did not make the soils permeable, but they became permeable if the soils were treated with Ca salts to replace the Na and then frozen and thawed.