Numerical Modeling of the Response of Cylindrical Specimens of Clay to Drying.

摘要

Previous research has indicated that the rate at which soil dries influences the incidence and severity of cracking in soil. Cracking of soil is caused by tensile stresses created by unequal shrinkage strains that develop because the soil surface dries more quickly than the interior of the soil. A theoretical model of drying cylindrical specimens of clay was developed based on Biot's general theory of three-dimensional consolidation. A numerical model of drying was developed by employing the finite element method to solve the coupled equation governing equilibrium and flow derived in the theoretical model. A parametric study of consolidation of cylindrical specimens of clay was performed to validate the numerical model. Another parametric study was then performed to investigate the effect of different rates of drying on the development of tensile stress in cylindrical specimens of clay.