A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw Action

Soil slope diseases in seasonally frozen regions are mostly related to water migration and frost heave deformation of the soil. Based on the partial differential equation defined using the COMSOL Multiphysics software, a thermo-hydromechanical coupling model considering water migration, ice-water ph...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yongxiang Zhan, Zheng Lu, Hailin Yao, Shaohua Xian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Advances in Civil Engineering
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7219826
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832556238069563392
author Yongxiang Zhan
Zheng Lu
Hailin Yao
Shaohua Xian
author_facet Yongxiang Zhan
Zheng Lu
Hailin Yao
Shaohua Xian
author_sort Yongxiang Zhan
collection DOAJ
description Soil slope diseases in seasonally frozen regions are mostly related to water migration and frost heave deformation of the soil. Based on the partial differential equation defined using the COMSOL Multiphysics software, a thermo-hydromechanical coupling model considering water migration, ice-water phase change, ice impedance, and frost heave is constructed, and the variations in the temperature field, migration of liquid water, accumulation of solid ice, and deformation of frost heave in frozen soil slopes are analysed. The results show that the ambient temperature has a significant effect on the temperature and moisture field of the slope in the shallow area. In addition, the degree of influence gradually weakens from the outside to the inside of the slope, and the number of freeze-thaw cycles in deep soil is less than that in shallow soil. During the freezing period, water in the unfrozen area rapidly migrates to the frozen area, and the total moisture content abruptly changes at the vicinity of the freezing front. The maximum frozen depth is the largest at the slope top and the smallest at the slope foot. During the melting period, water is enriched at the melting front with the frozen layer melting; the slope is prone to shallow instability at this stage. The melting of the frozen layer is bidirectional, so the duration of slope melting is shorter than that of the freezing process. The slope displacement is closely related to the change in temperature—a relation that is in agreement with the phenomenon of thermal expansion and contraction in unfrozen areas and reflects the phenomenon of frost heave and thaw settlement in frozen areas.
format Article
id doaj-art-fb33bec03dc444eca4c25bd710844fb3
institution Kabale University
issn 1687-8086
1687-8094
language English
publishDate 2018-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Advances in Civil Engineering
spelling doaj-art-fb33bec03dc444eca4c25bd710844fb32025-02-03T05:46:06ZengWileyAdvances in Civil Engineering1687-80861687-80942018-01-01201810.1155/2018/72198267219826A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw ActionYongxiang Zhan0Zheng Lu1Hailin Yao2Shaohua Xian3State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, ChinaSoil slope diseases in seasonally frozen regions are mostly related to water migration and frost heave deformation of the soil. Based on the partial differential equation defined using the COMSOL Multiphysics software, a thermo-hydromechanical coupling model considering water migration, ice-water phase change, ice impedance, and frost heave is constructed, and the variations in the temperature field, migration of liquid water, accumulation of solid ice, and deformation of frost heave in frozen soil slopes are analysed. The results show that the ambient temperature has a significant effect on the temperature and moisture field of the slope in the shallow area. In addition, the degree of influence gradually weakens from the outside to the inside of the slope, and the number of freeze-thaw cycles in deep soil is less than that in shallow soil. During the freezing period, water in the unfrozen area rapidly migrates to the frozen area, and the total moisture content abruptly changes at the vicinity of the freezing front. The maximum frozen depth is the largest at the slope top and the smallest at the slope foot. During the melting period, water is enriched at the melting front with the frozen layer melting; the slope is prone to shallow instability at this stage. The melting of the frozen layer is bidirectional, so the duration of slope melting is shorter than that of the freezing process. The slope displacement is closely related to the change in temperature—a relation that is in agreement with the phenomenon of thermal expansion and contraction in unfrozen areas and reflects the phenomenon of frost heave and thaw settlement in frozen areas.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7219826
spellingShingle Yongxiang Zhan
Zheng Lu
Hailin Yao
Shaohua Xian
A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw Action
Advances in Civil Engineering
title A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw Action
title_full A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw Action
title_fullStr A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw Action
title_full_unstemmed A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw Action
title_short A Coupled Thermo-Hydromechanical Model of Soil Slope in Seasonally Frozen Regions under Freeze-Thaw Action
title_sort coupled thermo hydromechanical model of soil slope in seasonally frozen regions under freeze thaw action
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7219826
work_keys_str_mv AT yongxiangzhan acoupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction
AT zhenglu acoupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction
AT hailinyao acoupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction
AT shaohuaxian acoupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction
AT yongxiangzhan coupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction
AT zhenglu coupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction
AT hailinyao coupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction
AT shaohuaxian coupledthermohydromechanicalmodelofsoilslopeinseasonallyfrozenregionsunderfreezethawaction