Study of Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Response of Saturated Clayey Soils Using Two Thermo-Plastic Constitutive Models

Abstract

In this article Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) response of saturated clays has been studied. For this purpose, the finite element program PISA, which is able to simulate coupled THM analysis, has been employed. Due to the effects of temperature on the mechanical behavior of soil, two temperature-dependent constitutive models have been implemented in PISA. For verification of the developed numerical model, ATLAS large scale experiment has been simulated in different conditions and the simulations results have been compared with in-situ measurements. Comparison of predictions and measurements reveals that using coupled formulation along with thermoplastic constitutive models, the main aspects of the THM behavior of saturated clays can be captured. The results indicate that for accurate simulation of advection phenomenon, two-dimensional finite element model should be used.