Pengfei He , Wenhai Zhang , Xiangbing Kong , Feng Yue , Ruige Shi , Fuping Zhang
{"title":"A novel mechanical model for frost heave failure of concrete canal lining: Considering elastic boundaries","authors":"Pengfei He , Wenhai Zhang , Xiangbing Kong , Feng Yue , Ruige Shi , Fuping Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104715","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104715","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Frost heave failure of concrete canal linings in cold regions poses a significant threat to the safe operation of water conveyance systems. This study proposes a novel mechanical model for frost heave failure based on dual-parameter elastic foundation beam theory, incorporating the non-uniform deformation behavior commonly observed in engineering practice. The interaction between foundation soil frost heave and the lining is represented by a system of springs, with the lining boundaries modeled as elastic supports. Model accuracy is validated through comparison with field measurements and prior studies. Results show that the elastic boundary more accurately captures the deformation behavior near the top and foot of the lining. Compared with elastic boundaries, simply supported conditions result in 28.05 % greater peak displacement, 29.75 % higher peak bending moment, and 49.13 % lower shear force at the top of the lining. When elastic boundaries are included, negative bending moments emerge near the lining ends. As the vertical spring stiffness increases, the peak frost heave displacement initially decreases and then rises, while the extent of the negative bending moment regime contracts. A similar non-monotonic trend is observed for peak bending moment with increasing torsional spring stiffness, accompanied by expansion of the negative moment regions at the top and foot. When the torsional stiffness becomes excessively large, the absolute value of the negative moment exceeds that of the positive moment at the boundary, leading to a shift in the critical failure location. Increasing the lining thickness from 6 cm to 14 cm results in a 48.12 % reduction in peak frost heave displacement, with the location of maximum displacement shifting 15 cm toward the center of the lining.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104715"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145323611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yi Wei , Yongsheng Liu , Haoran Xu , Zijun Dou , Gansheng Yang
{"title":"Analysis of borehole stability in Antarctic drilling considering time-varying temperature effect","authors":"Yi Wei , Yongsheng Liu , Haoran Xu , Zijun Dou , Gansheng Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104763","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104763","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Antarctic air drilling, borehole stability critically depends on heat transfer between ice walls and airflow, the ice sheet temperature gradient, and air's non-isothermal flow. Effective mitigation of thermally induced borehole collapse/closure risks in Antarctic air drilling necessitates understanding the aero-thermo-mechanical (ATM) coupling effect in Antarctic air drilling systems. This paper presents a coupled ATM model, which incorporates a Helmholtz energy thermodynamic model for air and the equation of state for H<sub>2</sub>O Ice Ih revised by IAPWS (the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam), characterizing real thermodynamic behavior and properties of air and ice. And three failure indices are modified to account for temperature sensitivity and compared with the Derradji-Aouat failure index. They are used to quantify high-strain-rate brittle failure risks from the perspective of tension, shear, and phase transition. Ice deformation under low strain rates is governed by the Maxwell model. Numerical solutions derived from U.S. RAM-2 drilling parameters via finite element methods reveal key findings: As airflow transitions from the drill hose into the annulus through a “transition zone,” it exhibits abrupt property changes. The ATM coupling effect creates localized regions along the ice wall with steep temperature gradients (ΔT ≈ 20 K) and stress fluctuations (Δσ ≈ 0.01 MPa). Extreme transitions in these regions increase closure or collapse risks, primarily due to tensile failure. Lowering the temperature of the injected air can effectively reduce tensile failure risks. This paper proposes an operational control process to achieve this.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104763"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The freeze-thaw model of cementitious materials partially saturated with dissolved salts: From elastic deformation to non-uniform plastic deformation","authors":"Heqing Gou , Xinchun Guan","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104754","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104754","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study establishes a fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model to describe the damage evolution of cementitious materials with dissolved salts under freeze-thaw conditions, from unsaturated to saturated states of water. A pore pressure calculation equation, accounting for air, is proposed based on the thermodynamic equilibrium of substances in the pores and the initial material state, and integrated into the pore elastoplastic model.The model also considers the convective diffusion of the gas phase and the permeation adsorption process of dissolved salts. The freeze-thaw process is simulated using the equilibrium method, incorporating hysteresis effects, and combined with the saturation function to quantify the uneven ice distribution due to the saturation gradient from external moisture absorption.The effectiveness of the proposed model is validated through comparisons with experimental data and the results of classical models from the literature. The discussion section demonstrates that the model effectively describes the process of moisture replacing air in pores during freeze-thaw cycles and incorporates this into the subsequent cycle. It also shows that the surface moisture saturation is significantly higher than that of the interior, which is a key factor contributing to surface frost damage in the material.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104754"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145614699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Enzhao Xiao , Shengquan Li , Hao Wang , Biao Hu , Xueyuan Tang , Bo Sun , Fan Zhang , Yihe Wang
{"title":"Experiment on ductile to brittle transition behavior of compacted Antarctic snow under uniaxial compression","authors":"Enzhao Xiao , Shengquan Li , Hao Wang , Biao Hu , Xueyuan Tang , Bo Sun , Fan Zhang , Yihe Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104757","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104757","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a crucial infrastructure for Antarctic logistics support system, snow runways are constructed using compacted Antarctic snow. Therefore, analyzing the mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of compacted Antarctic snow is essential for ensuring safe operation of snow runways. Previous studies conducted uniaxial compression tests on non-Antarctic snow, revealing that the mechanical behavior of snow was influenced by factors such as density, temperature and loading rate. In particular, loading rate significantly altered the failure mode of snow: low loading rates led to ductile failure, while high loading rates resulted in brittle failure. Although previous research has explored the effect of loading rate on the failure mode of snow, the ductile to brittle transition behavior of compacted Antarctic snow utilized in snow runway construction in Antarctica, as well as the corresponding sintering time effect have rarely been studied. This paper replicated the construction process of Antarctic snow runways in sample preparation, i.e., the procedure of crushing, sieving, compacting, and sintering of the natural Antarctic snow was followed. Uniaxial compression tests were then employed to investigate the effects of different loading rates, densities, and sintering times on the failure process of compacted Antarctic snow. The results indicated that under identical density and loading rate conditions, extending the sintering time from 3 to 18 h resulted in a 1–39 % strength increase, while prolongation to 48 h achieved a further 9–53 % improvement over the 18-h samples. When maintaining identical sintering time and loading rate conditions, increasing the snow density from 0.5 to 0.6 g/cm<sup>3</sup> led to a significant strength increase (125–218 %). It was worth noting that under the same sintering time and density, as the compression rate increased from 1 × 10<sup>−4</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> to 1 × 10<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>, the compressive strength of the snow samples decreased monotonically, which was different from previous studies utilizing non-Antarctic snow. Additionally, both the longitudinal and transverse deformation of the snow samples became more pronounced as the loading rate decreased, especially at low loading rates (1 × 10<sup>−4</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> and 5 × 10<sup>−4</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>). This study facilitates the advancement of construction techniques and enhances operational safety for Antarctic snow runways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104757"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jianhua Yang , Xianming Chen , Zhiwei Ye , Chi Yao , Xiaobo Zhang , Yongli Ma , Da Liu
{"title":"Coupling effects of temperature and water content on the dynamic properties of frozen red sandstone","authors":"Jianhua Yang , Xianming Chen , Zhiwei Ye , Chi Yao , Xiaobo Zhang , Yongli Ma , Da Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In cold regions, the dynamic properties of frozen rock are a key consideration for blasting engineering in rock masses. However, the coupling effects of temperature and water content on them remain poorly understood in current research. In this study, dynamic impact tests were performed on red sandstone specimens with saturated water coefficients ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 under ambient and negative temperatures, based on the improved split Hopkinson pressure bar system, by integrating a real-time sub-zero temperature control module. The temperature influence factor (TIF) has been creatively defined, establishing the relationship between the dynamic parameters of ambient-temperature rocks and cryogenic rocks, thus filling the gap where no connection existed between them. The results demonstrate that, under a fixed moisture content, both the dynamic uniaxial compressive strength (<em>σ</em><sub>cd</sub>) and the dynamic elastic modulus (<em>E</em><sub>d</sub>) increase with decreasing temperature. Due to the influence of the saturation coefficient on the content of ice formed by phase change of water in rock pore (weakening effect of unfrozen water at low saturation coefficients→strengthening effect of ice at moderate saturation coefficients→deterioration effect of excessive ice at high saturation coefficients), both <em>σ</em><sub>cd</sub> and <em>E</em><sub>d</sub> of frozen red sandstone follow a three-stage evolution pattern of first decreasing, then increasing, and finally decreasing with increasing saturation coefficients. The TIF of <em>σ</em><sub>cd</sub> and <em>E</em><sub>d</sub> has a positive correlation trend with the saturation coefficient. Under the tested sub-zero conditions, TIF increases approximately linearly with decreasing temperature. Additionally, the specimen's aspect ratio, strain rate, and static compressive strength all significantly affect the rate of change in TIF with temperature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104745"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145517253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Barrier effects and micro-mechanisms of geotextile layers on water-salt migration in saline soils under freeze-thaw cycles","authors":"Junli Gao, Panwei Ren, Feiyu Liu, Zili Dai, Chang Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saline soils in cold and arid regions are highly vulnerable to water-salt migration, frost heave, and salt heave under freeze-thaw cycles, posing significant threats to subgrade stability. This study investigated the barrier effects of geotextile layers on water–salt migration through soil column tests with varying geotextile types and initial salt contents. Temperature, water content, electrical conductivity, and microstructure were comprehensively analyzed. Results indicate that geotextile layers effectively delayed the downward movement of the freezing front and suppressed upward migration of water and salt by forming thermal resistance and capillary barriers. Among the tested materials, the polypropylene geotextile with 200 g/m<sup>2</sup> unit area (PP2) showed the strongest barrier performance, reducing surface salt content by 66.7 % owing to its lower permeability and stronger hydrophobicity. Water-salt migration was most intense when the initial salt content ranged from 3.22 % to 3.60 %, suggesting that single-layer barriers in this range carry a high risk and require reinforcement measures to mitigate subgrade damage. Microstructural observations further confirmed that PP2 effectively restricted crack development and preserved pore stability under freeze-thaw cycles. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for optimizing the selection and structural design of barrier materials in saline soil subgrades in cold and arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104759"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145576640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuna Feng , Junru Chen , Nasrin Azad , Vilim Filipović , Jialong Lv , Hailong He
{"title":"Enhanced mercury removal from contaminated soils in cold regions via KI leaching and freeze-thaw cycle","authors":"Shuna Feng , Junru Chen , Nasrin Azad , Vilim Filipović , Jialong Lv , Hailong He","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104719","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104719","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mercury (Hg) contamination in seasonally frozen soils presents significant environmental and health risks, with effective remediation remaining challenging. The study explores a novel remediation approach combining potassium iodide (KI) leaching with freeze-thaw cycle to enhance Hg removal. Laboratory aging and batch experiments were used to elucidate factors controlling Hg adsorption, desorption, and mobility. Soil column experiments evaluated four strategies: (i) water leaching, (ii) KI leaching, (iii) KI saturation and water leaching, and (iv) KI saturation, freeze-thaw cycle and water leaching. Results showed that Hg adsorption was controlled by soil organic matter and clay content, while KI-induced Hg release involved complex desorption via heterogeneous diffusion. Water leaching showed negligible Hg removal (0.59 %), while KI leaching removed 78.96 % Hg and increased residual mobile Hg fractions and soil toxicity. Optimized methods (iii: 73.31 %; iv: 76.37 %) enhanced Hg removal while reducing toxicity and saving 90 % KI dosage. Crucially, the freeze-thaw-enhanced method soil exhibited significantly lower Hg mobility, reducing mobile and semi-mobile fractions by 21.00 % and 8.21 %, respectively, compared to non-freeze-thaw treatment. This enhancement stems from frozen front-driven Hg migration, where freeze-thaw cycle disrupts soil structures, releasing bounded Hg and enhancing hydraulic conductivity for effective contaminant removal. Moreover, this approach eliminates the need for engineered well and pump systems required by regular chemical washing/leaching methods. Integrating KI leaching with freeze-thaw cycle offers a promising, cost-effective, and less toxic strategy for Hg remediation in seasonally frozen regions. These findings advance nature-based remediation solutions and contribute to the development of theoretical models for pollutant transport under dynamic environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104719"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145360739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Constraints of the enhanced snow melt in the northern Antarctic Peninsula during the 2021/22 melt season from Sentinel-1 data and in-situ observations","authors":"Kateřina Fárová , Kamil Láska , Zbyněk Engel","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104722","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104722","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A time series of 32 Sentinel-1 images were used to establish the constraints of the surface melt on the Trinity Peninsula and James Ross Island from October 2021 to April 2022. The consistency of the decrease in the backscatter coefficient (σ<sup>0</sup>) with the rise in air temperature above 0 °C was validated through in-situ measured meteorological data. The correlation coefficient between the air temperature characteristics and σ<sup>0</sup> was highest in the accumulation area of the glaciers on James Ross Island. A decrease of σ<sup>0</sup> by −4 dB, compared to the winter mean value, was chosen as the threshold for the melt constraint. The number of melt days, derived from the Sentinel-1 data, was in better agreement with the same characteristics retrieved from the six-day mean air temperature, than that from the sum of positive degree days. The method proved to be useful when applied to the percolation zone, but unsuitable for the termination zone of glaciers with bare ice and for the dry snow zone. The snow-melt indices were subject to detailed analysis along selected transects across the Trinity Peninsula and James Ross Island in terms of both elevation and local/regional differences. The maximum number of melt days ranged from 150 to 180 days on the west coast of the Trinity Peninsula to 90–120 days on the southeastern part of James Ross Island. The earliest occurrence and longest duration of snow melt was observed on the northwestern coast of the Trinity Peninsula. On the east coast of the Peninsula, in the area from 200 to 600 m a.s.l., the melt duration was approximately 100 days. During a significant temperature anomaly in early February 2022, the snow melt extended to the summit of Mt. Haddington. At the same time, surface snow melting advanced to an elevation of 1600 m a.s.l. on the Trinity Peninsula. Apart from this extreme event, melting at altitudes above 1000–1200 m a.s.l. was rarely observed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104722"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145360740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sheng Shi , Guanfu Wang , Decheng Feng , Feng Zhang
{"title":"Influence of structural characteristics on the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of frozen clay","authors":"Sheng Shi , Guanfu Wang , Decheng Feng , Feng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104736","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104736","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The strength and deformation properties of frozen soil are significant indicators to evaluate the stability and safety of infrastructures during construction and operation in cold regions. The distinctive nature and complexity of frozen soil are mainly reflected in its sensitivity to temperature changes and its inherent structural deformation features. This research focuses on the influence of frozen clay structural characteristics on its mechanical and deformation characteristics, and the mechanical behaviors of frozen clay with different structures were studied using a GDS triaxial test system. The influences of structural features and stress levels on its mechanical properties were analyzed, and the effect of confining pressure on its mechanical parameters was investigated. The variations in cracking strength and dilatancy strength of frozen clay with different structures under various confining pressure were analyzed. Finally, the mechanical properties of frozen clay with different structures were investigated using COMSOL, and the failure mechanisms were revealed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104736"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145414212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Saken Sandybay , Islam Orynbassarov , Chang-Seon Shon , Dichuan Zhang , Jong Ryeol Kim , Chul-Woo Chung
{"title":"Sustainable utilization of steel slags as road abrasives for ice melting application","authors":"Saken Sandybay , Islam Orynbassarov , Chang-Seon Shon , Dichuan Zhang , Jong Ryeol Kim , Chul-Woo Chung","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104773","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104773","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Abrasives are essential for surface treatment in cold climates, where snow and ice pose significant challenges to transportation infrastructure and road safety. This study addresses the growing need for effective, sustainable winter road maintenance (WRM) methods by exploring basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) as an alternative abrasive for ice-melting applications. Fresh and stockpiled (aged) BOFSs were first evaluated for their physical and mechanical properties, including abrasive angularity, absorption capacity, and thermal capacity, to assess their potential for improved surface treatment for ice melting. Then, BOFS was combined with deicing salts, such as sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) to form a blended ice-melting agent for winter maintenance. A series of laboratory tests was conducted to evaluate ice-melting performance using a petri dish and polishing ice-melting tests, as well as to examine surface temperature and clogging effects after abrasive application under controlled conditions. The experimental results show that both BOFS demonstrated good ice-melting efficiency and had higher heat and water absorption capacities than natural abrasives. For instance, slag-based abrasives show approximately 30–40 % higher ice-melting efficiency than river sand and exhibit a 2–3 °C higher temperature rise under sunlight exposure. The findings of this study highlight the potential of BOFS not only as a viable abrasive material but also as a way to reduce environmental impacts associated with traditional practices that use natural sand. This research lays the groundwork for adopting slag as a sustainable alternative to conventional WRM abrasives, balancing performance, cost, and environmental considerations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"242 ","pages":"Article 104773"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145681395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}