Long-term stability of clay barrier by microstructural approach

摘要

Long-term stability of the synthetic clay barrier concerning seepage and consolidation is the matter subject addressed in this paper. The exact characteristics of constituents of the micro-inhomogeneous continuum are determined by method of molecular dynamics simulation. The asymptotic homogenization is employed to derive the macroscopic field equations of transport in saturated montmorillonite-rich bentonite clay. Numerical computation to achieve parameters characterizing the homogenized medium is accomplished by finite element method. Results of simulation with the homogenization method yield in good agreement with those of experiment-based record. The hydraulic conductivity obtained thus deliberately used in estimation involving long-term behavior of an engineered barrier for high-level radioactive waste disposal.