Effect of Freezing-Thawing Cycles on the Elastic Waves’ Properties of Rocks

Freezing thawing cycles are known to play an important role in fracture propagation on rock mass and thus slope instabilities. In laboratories, this phenomenon can be studied through the measurement of velocities elastic waves. Seven types rocks differing by their mineralogy texture were tested (gneiss, basalt, amphibolite, dolomite, sandstone, marble limestone calcite). Five samples each tested. All submitted freezing/thawing following European Standard describing tests determine frost resistance natural stone. Elastic waves recorded every 14 cycles. The experimentation continued until was macrofissurated. evolution weight samples, waves, shapes characterize changes over freeze-thaw addition, signal processing allows compute energy variations as well frequencies samples.