Thermomechanical behaviour of silty sandy clays: An experimental and numerical investigation

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the experimental and numerical investigation of the effect of temperature on the volumetric behaviour of silty sandy clay. A temperature-controlled oedometer is developed to study thermally induced volume change. In this system, an electrical ring heater is placed around the conventional oedometer cell, which accommodates the sample. A very low temperature increase rate was achieved by the thermal controller unit to ensure reasonable saturation durations. The interpretation of the test is assisted by the performance of a numerical analysis based on a coupled formulation incorporating the relevant THM phenomena. Heating and cooling at constant isotropic stress show that the thermal volumetric behaviour of clay samples depends on various factors, such as recent stress history prior to the heating and cooling test. The performance and analysis of the thermal consolidation tests have significantly enhanced the understanding of the thermal volumetric behaviour of tested clay and have proved the capability of the numerical formulation to provide adequate modelling capacity.

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