A Novel Trimming Technique for Frozen Sand Specimens

A trimming technique is described for the preparation of specimens of frozen sand for one-dimensional thawing and consolidation tests. Specimens are trimmed directly into the apparatus’ confining ring using its cylindrical cutting edge; a heated metal blade is employed to remove the excess soil, while dry ice is used as coolant. The technique is performed at room temperature and is particularly suitable for 1-D thaw-consolidation tests where dimensional tolerances are critical. The technique was applied for preparing specimens of frozen sand from the Venice Lagoon deposits for 1-D compression tests in the Constant Rate of Strain (CRS) apparatus (Wissa 1971). Specimen handling and test setup are described in detail; testing procedure included measurement of axial strain during thawing.