Study on creep aging law and pile–soil aging interaction of expansive soil open channels in cold and arid areas

The swelling soil in the water conveyance open channel of the cold and arid regions undergoes dry-wet-freeze-thaw cycles, leading to a time-dependent deformation and failure effect. To predict the preventive effect of anti-slide pipe piles on the channel slope, a creep damage model of swelling soil considering the moisture content and the dry-wet-freeze-thaw cycling, along with the FLAC3D software, was employed to carry out a numerical simulation analysis of the deformation of the channel slope and the interaction between piles and soil under the fluctuation of water levels. The results indicate that stress concentration is prone to form in the middle of the front side of the anti slide pipe piles, resulting in the weakening of the soil arch effect and the occurrence of rigid fatigue in the pile bodies. The impermeability of the pile bodies causes the accumulation of seepage water at the front and rear edges, which is detrimental to the long-term stability of the channel slope. The research findings can offer guidance for the stability prevention and control of the water conveyance open channel with swelling soil in the cold and arid regions.