@Article{jrm.2022.018856, AUTHOR = {Yong Chen, Yinghao Huang,2, Min Wu and Shuo Wang}, TITLE = {Fly Ash/Paraffin Composite Phase Change Material Used to Treat Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Expansive Soil in Cold Regions}, JOURNAL = {Journal of Renewable Materials}, VOLUME = {10}, YEAR = {2022}, NUMBER = {4}, PAGES = {1153--1173}, URL = {http://www.techscience.com/jrm/v10n4/45337}, ISSN = {2164-6341}, ABSTRACT = {Phase change materials (PCMs) can store large amounts of energy in latent heat and release it during phase changes, which could be used to improve the freeze-thaw performance of soil. The composite phase change material was prepared with paraffin as the PCM and 8% Class C fly ash (CFA) as the supporting material. Laboratory tests were conducted to reveal the influence of phase change paraffin composite Class C fly ash (CFA-PCM) on the thermal properties, volume changes and mechanical properties of expansive soil. The results show that PCM failed to establish a good improvement effect due to leakage. CFA can effectively adsorb phase change materials, and the two have good compatibility. CFA-PCM reduces the volume change and strength attenuation of the soil, and 8 wt.% PCM is the optimal content. CFA-PCM turns the phase change latent heat down of the soil and improves its thermal stability. CFA-PCM makes the impact small of freeze-thaw on soil pore structure damage and improves soil volume change and mechanical properties on a macroscopic scale. In addition, CFA-8 wt.% PCM treated expansive soil has apparent advantages in resisting repeated freeze-thaw cycles, providing a reference for actual engineering design.}, DOI = {10.32604/jrm.2022.018856} }