Analysis of undrained spherical cavity expansion in modified Cam Clay of finite radial extent

Abstract

The problem of a spherical cavity expanded from an initial radius to another cavity in finite soil is investigated in this paper. A similarity transformation technique is used to solve the partial differential equations (PDEs) of spherical cavity expansion, which allows the stress, displacement and pore pressure induced by cavity expansion to be captured. The derived analytical solution is validated by comparing the degenerate solution with published results on cavity expansion in an infinite medium. The present analytical method can conveniently capture the effect of the finite boundary. A simple application to compaction grouting confirms its utility in geotechnical practice.