A Dynamic Micromechanical Constitutive Model for Frozen Soil under Impact Loading

By taking the frozen soil as a particle-reinforced composite material which consists of clay soil (i.e., the matrix) and ice particles, a micromechanical constitutive model is established to describe the dynamic compressive deformation of frozen soil. The proposed model is constructed by referring to the debonding damage theory of composite materials, and addresses the effects of strain rate and temperature on the dynamic compressive deformation of frozen soil. The proposed model is verified through comparison of the predictions with the corresponding dynamic experimental data of frozen soil obtained from the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests at different high strain rates and temperatures. It is shown that the predictions agree well with the experimental results.