Cracking in Frozen Soils through a Nonlocal THM Meshfree Paradigm
Publication: Geotechnical Frontiers 2025
ABSTRACT
Fracturing in frozen soils presents a significant challenge in cold-region engineering. Using an innovative numerical approach, this paper explores the fracturing mechanisms in frozen soils, comprising soil solids, ice, and water. We employ a nonlocal meshless method known as periporomechanics (PPM), integrated with a thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) elastic model for frozen soils. PPM diverges from classical poromechanics by utilizing integral-differential equations. In this method, the porous medium is modeled using a finite set of material points, where interactions within a specified radius or horizon are considered to exhibit THM-related nonlocal effects. This computational model employs a Lagrangian meshless scheme for spatial discretization. The fracturing process is modeled through a THM bond breakage concept. In this study, we integrate a THM elastic model into the PPM framework using the stabilized correspondence principle. Numerical examples are presented to validate and demonstrate the effectiveness of our nonlocal meshless method in modeling and analyzing the fracturing processes in frozen soils under thermo-mechanical loads. The examples highlight the THM PPM model’s robustness and potential as a valuable tool for understanding and predicting soil behavior in cold regions, providing crucial insights for engineering applications.
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REFERENCES
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Geotechnical Frontiers 2025
Pages: 137 - 147
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Published online: Feb 27, 2025
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