A two-dimensional generalized thermo-hydro-mechanical-coupled problem for a poroelastic half-space

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of coupled thermo-hydro- mechanical dynamics on an isotropic, uniform, fully saturated, and poroelastic half-space subgrade whose surface is subjected to either mechanical force or thermal load. In this paper, our formulation is deduced in the context of two theories of generalized thermoelasticity: the Lord-Shulman theory and the Green-Lindsay theory. We then deduce the general relationships among non-dimensional vertical displacement, excess pore water pressure, vertical stress, and temperature distribution using Normal Mode Analysis (NMA) and depict them graphically. NMA is a method using weighted residuals to derive analytical solutions and can thus solve partial differential equations more quickly compared to other methods. This study continues our work of applying NMA to derive theoretical results in the multi-field coupling of soil. Following the analysis, the theoretical results are illustrated with a numerical example and a Maple program is developed. Furthermore, the differences between the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamic model (THMD) and the thermo-elastic dynamic model (TED) are presented. This proposed derivation method can be widely applied in the geotechnical engineering field, especially with regard to the mechanical and thermal behaviors of commercial buildings, high-speed railways, and highway energy foundations.