Strength of frozen sand containing tetrahydrofuran hydrate

Abstract

Cylindrical samples of frozen sand containing tetrahydrofuran hydrate were tested under uniaxial compression at 267 K and strain rates between 10−6 and 10−3 s−1. In the low strain rate region the compressive strength of the samples was higher than that of frozen sand containing ice. For example, at 267 K and a strain rate of 10−6 s−1 the peak stress for the frozen sand containing hydrate was about 16 MPa, whereas the corresponding value for the frozen sand containing ice was only 10.5 MPa. The strain rate dependence of stress for the frozen sand containing hydrate was much smaller than that of frozen sand containing ice, so that at higher strain rates the compressive strengths of the two materials become almost the same. Key words: tetrahydrofuran hydrate, frozen sand, mechanical properties, compressive strength, creep behavior.