A thermo-hydro-mechanical finite-element model with freezing processes in saturated soils

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Tianyuan Zheng - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Ocean University of China (Author)
  • Xing Yuan Miao - , Chair of Applied Environmental Systems Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Technical University of Denmark (Author)
  • Dmitri Naumov - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Author)
  • Haibing Shao - , Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Author)
  • Olaf Kolditz - , Chair of Applied Environmental Systems Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Author)
  • Thomas Nagel - , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Trinity College Dublin, Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Author)

Abstract

Freezing and thawing of soil are dynamic thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) interacting coupled processes and have attracted more and more attention due to their potentially severe consequences in geotechnical engineering. In this paper, a fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical freezing (THM-F) model is established for advanced system design and scenario analysis. The model is derived within the framework of the theory of porous media and solved numerically using the finite-element method. Particularly, the derivation of theoretical aspects pertaining to the governing equations, including in particular the thermo-mechanical decomposition treatment of the solid phase, is presented in detail. Verification examples are provided from purely freezing, THM and THM-F perspectives. Attention is paid to the heat and mass transfer, thermodynamic relations and the formation of frost heave. The migration of pore fluid from the unfrozen zone to the freezing area and the blockage of pore space by ice lenses within the porous media are studied. The model is able to capture various coupled physical phenomena during freezing-for example, the latent heat effect, groundwater flow alterations and mechanical deformation.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)502-514
Number of pages13
JournalEnvironmental Geotechnics
Volume9
Issue number8
Publication statusPublished - 5 Apr 2019
Peer-reviewedYes