Analysis of Resistance to Penetration of a Cone into Frozen Sand Based on Data from Inverted Experiments

The laws of contact interaction between rigid and deformable strikers with dry and water-saturated soils in a wide range of temperatures were studied experimentally. Studies of the processes of impact and penetration of a steel conical striker into frozen sandy soil were carried out on the basis of the inverse experiment employing methodology of measuring bars. The dependences of the maximal values of the resistance force to penetration into soil of cones as a function of impact velocity ranging from 100 to 400 m/s are presented. The condition of sandy soil samples before freezing at a temperature of −18 °C is characterized by almost complete water saturation. A comparative analysis of the forces resisting to penetration of a striker into compacted dry, water-saturated and frozen sandy soil has been carried out. The resistance of frozen soil to penetration at low impact velocities significantly exceeds the resistance of dry and water-saturated soils. According to the results of the present experiments, at impact velocities over 300 m/s, the resistance curves of frozen and water-saturated soil tend to approach each other.