Mixture theory and unsaturated flow in swelling soils

The current state of knowledge on various aspects of mixture theory applied to unsaturated/saturated swelling soils is discussed. Two and three phase problems are studied. On the smallest scale (micro) the individual platelets and adsorbed (vicinal) water exist as separate phases. On the intermediate scale (meso) the platelets and vicinal water are homogenized to form a saturated particle where vicinal water and solid are overlaying continua. On the macroscale, bulk water, water vapor, and the mesoscale particles are homogenized resulting in three overlaying continua for solid, bulk water, vicinal water, and water vapor. Stress tensor formulations and Darcy’s laws are presented at the mesoscale and macroscales. A theoretical formulation for surface crusting is presented at the mesoscale. General viscoelastic mesoscale and macroscale models are discussed and related to classical approaches.     

Coupled Solvent and Heat Transport of a Mixture of Swelling Porous Particles and Fluids: Single Time-Scale Problem

A three-spatial scale, single time-scale model for both moisture and heat transport is developed for an unsaturated swelling porous media from first principles within a mixture theoretic framework. On the smallest (micro) scale, the system consists of macromolecules (clay particles, polymers, etc.) and a solvating liquid (vicinal fluid), each of which are viewed as individual phases or nonoverlapping continua occupying distinct regions of space and satisfying the classical field equations. These equations are homogenized forming overlaying continua on the intermediate (meso) scale via hybrid mixture theory (HMT). On the mesoscale the homogenized swelling particles consisting of the homogenized vicinal fluid and colloid are then mixed with two bulk phase fluids: the bulk solvent and its vapor. At this scale, there exists three nonoverlapping continua occupying distinct regions of space. On the largest (macro) scale the saturated homogenized particles, bulk liquid and vapor solvent, are again homogenized forming four overlaying continua: doubly homogenized vicinal fluid, doubly homogenized macromolecules, and singly homogenized bulk liquid and vapor phases. Two constitutive theories are developed, one at the mesoscale and the other at the macroscale. Both are developed via the Coleman and Noll method of exploiting the entropy inequality coupled with linearization about equilibrium. The macroscale constitutive theory does not rely upon the mesoscale theory as is common in other upscaling methods. The energy equation on either the mesoscale or macroscale generalizes de Vries classical theory of heat and moisture transport. The momentum balance allows for flow of fluid via volume fraction gradients, pressure gradients, external force fields, and temperature gradients.     

A multi-scale theory of swelling porous media: I. Application to one-dimensional consolidation

A theory is developed which describes flow in multi-scale, saturated swelling media. To upscale information, both the hybrid theory of mixtures and the homogenization technique are employed. In particular, a model is formulated in which vicinal water (water adsorbed to the solid phase) is treated as a separate phase from bulk (non-vicinal) water. A new form of Darcy's law governing the flow of both vicinal and bulk water is derived which involves an interaction potential to account for the swelling nature of the system. The theory is applied to the classical one-dimensional consolidation problem of Terzaghi and to verify Low's empirical, exponential, swelling result for clay at the macroscale.     

Macroscopic and Micromechanical Approaches to the Modelling of the Osmotic Swelling in Clays

The osmotic swelling in clays has been extensively studied at the physico-chemical scale. The present paper addresses the question of the modelling of this phenomenon from the mechanical point of view. First, the classical macroscopic thermodynamic framework for saturated porous continua is extended in order to take into account the solid-salt interaction through the concept of macroscopic activity coefficient of the salt. The micromechanical approach then incorporates this interaction through the concept of swelling pressure which is used for describing the internal forces in the fluid phase at the microscopic scale. The results of a physico-chemical theory for the solid-salt interaction, such as the e.d.l. theory, can be introduced in both approaches. Each of them leads to the identification of a deviation, of chemical origin, to Terzaghi's effective stress principle. Besides, the micromechanical approach allows us to clearly differentiate the mechanical and the chemical parts of clay materials elasticity.     

Chemo-Mechanical Consolidation of Clays: Analytical Solutions for a Linearized One-Dimensional Problem

Consolidation (and swelling) of clayey soils caused by change in chemistry of pore fluid is addressed. Such phenomena are caused by changes in the concentration of various species in the solution and result primarily from a stress-independent deformation of individual clusters, and from a mechanical weakening or strengthening of the clay solid matrix in the presence of stress. Second, transport of chemicals that involves concentration gradients induces additional driving forces of osmotic consolidation due to semipermeable membrane nature of clay. In this paper an extension of Terzaghi's model of the mechanical consolidation to incorporate chemical loading of soil is proposed. A linearized model is used to solve analytically two one-dimensional problems of consolidation of a homogeneous layer simulating a landfill liner with drained or undrained boundaries. The numerical results show a strong dependence of distribution of pore pressure on the chemical load and chemically induced settlements of soil to be comparable to the mechanical ones.     

Macroscopic Behavior of Swelling Porous Media Derived from Micromechanical Analysis

A new macroscopic model for swelling porous media is derived based on a rigorous upscaling of the microstructure. Considering that at the microscale the medium is composed of a charged solid phase (e.g. clay platelets, bio-macromolecules, colloidal or polymeric particles) saturated by a binary monovalent aqueous electrolyte solution composed of cations + and anions – of an entirely dissociated salt, the homogenization procedure is applied to scale up the pore-scale model. The microscopic system of governing equations consists of the local electro-hydrodynamics governing the movement of the electrolyte solution (Poisson–Boltzmann coupled with a modified Stokes problem including an additional body force of Coulombic interaction) together with modified convection–diffusion equations governing cations and anions transport. This system is coupled with the elasticity problem which describes the deformation of the solid phase. Novel forms of Terzaghi's effective principle and Darcy's law are derived including the effects of swelling pressure and osmotically induced flows, respectively. Micromechanical representations are provided for the macroscopic physico-chemical quantities.     

Three Pressures in Porous Media

In a thermodynamic setting for a single phase (usually fluid), the thermodynamically defined pressure, involving the change in energy with respect to volume, is often assumed to be equal to the physically measurable pressure, related to the trace of the stress tensor. This assumption holds under certain conditions such as a small rate of deformation tensor for a fluid. For a two-phase porous medium, an additional thermodynamic pressure has been previously defined for each phase, relating the change in energy with respect to volume fraction. Within the framework of Hybrid Mixture Theory and hence the Coleman and Noll technique of exploiting the entropy inequality, we show how these three macroscopic pressures (the two thermodynamically defined pressures and the pressure relating to the trace of the stress tensor) are related and discuss the physical interpretation of each of them. In the process, we show how one can convert directly between different combinations of independent variables without re-exploiting the entropy inequality. The physical interpretation of these three pressures is investigated by examining four media: a single solid phase, a porous solid saturated with a fluid which has negligible physico-chemical interaction with the solid phase, a swelling porous medium with a non-interacting solid phase, such as well-layered clay, and a swelling porous medium with an interacting solid phase such as swelling polymers.     

A Two-Scale Model for Coupled Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Phenomena and Onsager’s Reciprocity Relations in Expansive Clays: II Computational Validation

In Part I Moyne and Murad [Transport in Porous Media 62, (2006), 333–380] a two-scale model of coupled electro-chemo-mechanical phenomena in swelling porous media was derived by a formal asymptotic homogenization analysis. The microscopic portrait of the model consists of a two-phase system composed of an electrolyte solution and colloidal clay particles. The movement of the liquid at the microscale is ruled by the modified Stokes problem; the advection, diffusion and electro-migration of monovalent ions Na⁺ and Cl⁻ are governed by the Nernst–Planck equations and the local electric potential distribution is dictated by the Poisson problem. The microscopic governing equations in the fluid domain are coupled with the elasticity problem for the clay particles through boundary conditions on the solid–fluid interface. The up-scaling procedure led to a macroscopic model based on Onsager’s reciprocity relations coupled with a modified form of Terzaghi’s effective stress principle including an additional swelling stress component. A notable consequence of the two-scale framework are the new closure problems derived for the macroscopic electro-chemo-mechanical parameters. Such local representation bridge the gap between the macroscopic Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes and microscopic Electro-Hydrodynamics by establishing a direct correlation between the magnitude of the effective properties and the electrical double layer potential, whose local distribution is governed by a microscale Poisson–Boltzmann equation. The purpose of this paper is to validate computationally the two-scale model and to introduce new concepts inherent to the problem considering a particular form of microstructure wherein the clay fabric is composed of parallel particles of face-to-face contact. By discretizing the local Poisson–Boltzmann equation and solving numerically the closure problems, the constitutive behavior of the diffusion coefficients of cations and anions, chemico-osmotic and electro-osmotic conductivities in Darcy’s law, Onsager’s parameters, swelling pressure, electro-chemical compressibility, surface tension, primary/secondary electroviscous effects and the reflection coefficient are computed for a range particle distances and sat concentrations.     

上海软粘土微观特性及在土体变形与地面沉降中的作用研究

对上海软粘土的颗粒及集合体成分、孔径分布、微结构、孔隙溶液与阳离子交换性作了分析 ,对固结前后的孔径变化与人工回灌对土体性质可能带来的影响作了探讨 ,从物理化学角度阐述了软粘土微观特性对土体固结变形及地面沉降的影响.     

软粘土卸载特性计算模型研究

本文从三个方面对软粘土的卸载特性进行了理论研究。采用太沙基一维固结理论，编制了内嵌固结计算的修正剑桥模型程序．对软粘土卸载强度进行了分析。推导了基于修正剑桥模型的孔压表达式并编制了相应的程序对软粘土的卸载孔压特性进行了研究，结果显示，在伸长条件下．孔压先由零逐渐发展到负的最大值．然后又逐渐减小至零。突破零位后，发展成为正孔压并最后达到正的最大值。围压越大，产生的负孔压的极值越大，最终的正孔压越小。将传统边界面模型的线弹性卸载过程改进为弹塑性．建立了软粘土的边界面广义弹塑性模型，从而使边界面模型可用于分析软粘土卸载过程中的塑性变形问题。理论分析结果与试验进行了比较验证，证明理论研究方法是可行的。     

基于降阶均匀化理论的混凝土双尺度力学性能分析

混凝土材料细观特性对宏观力学性能有着重要影响。为进一步分析混凝土细观特性对宏观力学行为的影响规律,将混凝土材料简化为由骨料、砂浆和界面三相组成,编制了随机凸多面体骨料生成、投放和网格剖分算法,建立可用于有限元计算的满足级配要求的随机细观模型。针对直接使用细观力学模型计算量较大的问题,采用降阶均匀化理论,对混凝土细观胞元模型进行预处理并编制了相应的双尺度计算程序。对不同强度混凝土进行了单轴静态压缩双尺度计算,与实验数据和细观力学模拟结果符合较好。研究表明,降阶均匀化理论在加快求解速度的同时具有较高的精度,可以用于混凝土的多尺度力学性能分析。     

Multicomponent, Multiphase Thermodynamics of Swelling Porous Media with Electroquasistatics: II. Constitutive Theory

In Part I macroscopic field equations of mass, linear and angular momentum, energy, and the quasistatic form of Maxwell's equations for a multiphase, multicomponent medium were derived. Here we exploit the entropy inequality to obtain restrictions on constitutive relations at the macroscale for a 2-phase, multiple-constituent, polarizable mixture of fluids and solids. Specific emphasis is placed on charged porous media in the presence of electrolytes. The governing equations for the stress tensors of each phase, flow of the fluid through a deforming medium, and diffusion of constituents through such a medium are derived. The results have applications in swelling clays (smectites), biopolymers, biological membranes, pulsed electrophoresis, chromotography, drug delivery, and other swelling systems.     

Mesoscale modeling of microgel mechanics and kinetics through the swelling transition

The mechanics and swelling kinetics of polymeric microgels are simulated using a mesoscale computational model based on dissipative particle dynamics. Microgels are represented by a random elastic network submerged in an explicit viscous solvent. The model is used to probe the effect of different solvent conditions on the bulk modulus of the microgels. Comparison of the simulation results through the volume phase transition reveals favorable agreement with Flory-Rehner’s theory for polymeric gels. The model is also used to examine the microgel swelling kinetics, and is found to be in good agreement with Tanaka’s theory for spherical gels. The simulations show that, during the swelling process, the microgel maintains a nearly homogeneous structure, whereas deswelling is characterized by the formation of chain bundles and network coarsening.     

Modeling Filtration of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Fibrous Filters

Removing leukocytes (white cells) from blood products such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) prevents serious problems for the PRP recipients. We present a model to study selective separation of leukocytes from a dilute suspension of leukocytes and platelets (PRP) using fibrous filters. A selective PRP filter permits platelets to pass but bars the way for leukocytes. In PRP filters, fine synthetic fibers are packed randomly and interstices are larger than cells. Interactive forces between the suspended cells and fibers determine cell capture yield, i.e., deep-bed filtration process. Our model is based on a hierarchical set of differential equations corresponding to porescale and macroscale. At the porescale, we model movement and interaction of cells with fibers. A single cell entering the interstitial space encounters drag and surface forces. We define a unit bed element (UBE) composed of a fiber and interstitial space, where fiber diameter corrected for the size of the cells. We add measured surface forces between cells and fibers (electrostatic, van der Waals, fluid expression resistance, and biological responses) to the cell velocity equation. We then transform pore scale events into macroscale continuum by imposing periodic boundary conditions for contiguous UBEs and applying macrotransport theory. At macroscale, two independent coefficients: mean cell velocity vector U* and mean cell capture yield constant K*characterize cell filtration efficiency. Our model showed reasonable match with experimental data. Model results showed that diameter of fibers, injection velocity, bed porosity, and bed thickness control selective capture of leukocytes. Our model showed that it is merely impossible to filter out all leukocytes without capturing platelets. Based on our model, an optimized filter can capture 90% of leukocytes and pass through 45% of platelets.     

基于介观结构的饱和与非饱和多孔介质有效应力

基于描述含液颗粒材料介观结构的Voronoi 胞元模型和离散颗粒集合体与多孔连续体间的介-宏观均匀化过程, 定义饱和与非饱和多孔介质有效应力. 导出了计及孔隙液压引起之颗粒体积变形的饱和多孔介质广义有效应力. 用以定义广义有效应力的Biot 系数不仅依赖于颗粒材料的多孔连续体固体骨架及单个固体颗粒的体积模量(材料参数),同时与固体骨架当前平均广义有效应力及单个固体颗粒的体积应变(状态量) 有关. 提出了描述非饱和多孔介质中非混和固体颗粒、孔隙液体和气体等三相相互作用的具介观结构的Voronoi 胞元模型.具体考虑在低饱和度下双联(binary bond) 模式的摆动(pendular) 液桥系统介观结构. 导出了基于介观水力-力学模型的非饱和多孔介质的各向异性有效应力张量与有效压力张量. 考虑非饱和多孔介质Voronoi 胞元模型介观结构的各向同性情况,得到了与非饱和多孔连续体理论中唯象地假定的标量有效压力相同的有效压力形式.但本文定义的与确定非饱和多孔介质有效应力和有效压力相关联的Bishop 参数由基于三相介观水力-力学模型, 作为饱和度、孔隙度和介观结构参数的函数导出,而非唯象假定.      

ONE-DIMENSIONAL NONLINEAR CONSOLIDATION THEORY FOR SOFT GROUND WITH CONSIDERATION OF SECONDARY CONSOLIDATION1)

将软黏土变形分为有效应力变化引起的变形和次固结引起的变形,推导了软土新型应力应变关系。然后结合Davis固结理论,建立了考虑次固结的一维非线性固结控制方程,并对其进行解析求解。通过与数值方法对比,验证了解析解的可靠性。在此基础上,分析了次固结对软土地基固结沉降的影响。结果表明：考虑次固结的孔压消散速度与固结速度较不考虑次固结的慢;忽略次固结将低估软黏土地基的工后沉降。     

3D contaminant migration model with consolidation dependent transport coefficients

Soil consolidation would induce variations of its transport coefficients such as hydraulic conductivity and diffusion coefficient. This paper presents a study of the influence of barrier consolidation on transport coefficients, and a 3D transport model based on mixture theory is proposed for describing the liners that involve circular defects in the geomembrane. The elastoplastic ALPHA model is revised by using the spatially mobilized plane (SMP) criterion for simulating the deformation of the soils. Then, the 3D model coupling the nonlinear consolidation and contaminant advection-diffusion is solved using the finite element software ABAQUS. The results show that the importance of reducing the defect size in the geomembrane and the liner porosity to control the contaminant concentration increase.     

Constitutive unsaturated hydro-mechanical model based on modified mixture theory with consideration of hydration swelling

This paper has extended modified mixture theory with consideration of hydration swelling in unsaturated rock. By using non-equilibrium thermodynamics and Biot elasticity, a fully coupled formulation including hydration swelling term is derived. Standard arguments of non-equilibrium thermodynamics are used to derive the Darcy’s law for unsaturated flow. Helmholtz free energy has been used to give the relationship between the stress and pore pressure. The chemical potential of water in pore space and clay platelets has been included in the analysis of water sensitive materials such as shale. Finally, a simple numerical example has been presented for illustrative purpose, the results show that the swelling parameter has a strong influence on stress and strain.     

Variational bound finite element methods for three-dimensional creeping porous media and sedimentation flows

We present an analytico-computational methodology for the prediction of the effective properties of two types of three-dimensional particulate Stokes flows: porous media and sedimentation flows. In particular, we determine the permeability and average settling rate of media that consist of non-colloidal monodisperse solid spherical particles immersed in a highly viscous Newtonian fluid. Our methodology recasts the original problem into three scale-decoupled subproblems: the macro-, meso- and microscale subproblems. In the macroscale analysis the appropriate effective property is used to calculate the bulk quantity of interest. The mesoscale problem provides this effective property through the finite element solution of the transport equations in a periodic cell containing many particles distributed according to a prescribed joint probability density function. Finally, the microscale analysis allows us to accommodate mesoscale realizations in which two or more inclusions are in very close proximity; this geometrical stiffness is alleviated by introducing simple domain modifications that relax the mesh generation requirements while simultaneously yielding rigorous bounds for the effective property. Our methodology can treat random particle distributions as well as regular arrays; in the current paper we analyse only the latter. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermomechanics of Swelling Biopolymeric Systems

A two-scale theory for the swelling biopolymeric media is developed. At the microscale, the solid polymeric matrix interacts with the solvent through surface contact. The relaxation processes within the polymeric matrix are incorporated by modeling the solid phase as viscoelastic and the solvent phase as viscous at the mesoscale. We obtain novel equations for the total stress tensor, chemical potential of the solid phase, heat flux and the generalized Darcy's law all at the mesoscale. The constitutive relations are more general than those previously developed for the swelling colloids. The generalized Darcy's law could be used for modeling non-Fickian fluid transport over a wide range of liquid contents. The form of the generalized Fick's law is similar to that obtained in earlier works involving colloids. Using two-variable expansions, thermal gradients are coupled with the strain rate tensor for the solid phase and the deformation rate tensor for the liquid phase. This makes the experimental determination of the material coefficients easier and less ambiguous.