Rock masses in cold regions are often damaged by freeze-thaw effects due to circadian and seasonal climate change cycles. Rock damage in cold regions is a result of the number of freeze-thaw cycles, temperature, rock type, applied stress, and moisture content. These freeze-thawing effects result in weathering, deformation, freeze-thaw erosion, and other risks. However, the mechanical characteristics and failure patterns of rock-mass are difficult to predict.

Studies on the effect of freeze-thawing on the mechanical properties of rock will promote the understanding of the failure process and damage mechanisms of rock mass in cold regions. The deterioration of rock mass by freeze-thawing is a complicated process, which involves a combination of temperature, permeability, joint distribution type, and rock mechanical strength.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present a series of papers on contemporary research on the physical and mechanical parameters of different types of rock masses or rock-like materials under freeze-thawing conditions. Contributors to this issue will show the need to link theory, accurate experiments, and numerical techniques. We welcome both original research and review articles, and among the areas to be emphasized are freeze-thawing water migration, frost heaving force distribution, freeze-thawing damage mechanism, thermal-mechanical coupling, and visualization of freeze-thawing cycles.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Frost heave failure mode of jointed rock mass
• Water penetration and migration during the freeze-thaw process
• Degradation mechanism of freeze-thawing on rock mass
• Distribution laws of frost heaving force
• Fluid-solid coupling and thermal-mechanical coupling
• Imaging techniques in freeze-thawing initiation and dissipation process analysis
• Numerical simulation of freeze-thawing