Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element Method
A hydrological–thermal coupling discrete element model depicting the unidirectional freezing process of unsaturated silty clay was developed in order to investigate the migration law of unfrozen water in unsaturated silty clay under unidirectional freezing circumstances. The model uses the contact h...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1338 |
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| author | Wei Shan Shiyao Qu Ying Guo |
| author_facet | Wei Shan Shiyao Qu Ying Guo |
| author_sort | Wei Shan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A hydrological–thermal coupling discrete element model depicting the unidirectional freezing process of unsaturated silty clay was developed in order to investigate the migration law of unfrozen water in unsaturated silty clay under unidirectional freezing circumstances. The model uses the contact heat transfer equation to calculate the heat transfer process while taking into account the latent heat of phase transition. To obtain the silty clay’s freezing characteristic curve, the model combines the unfrozen water content curve with the Clausius–Clapeyron equation. The water migration from the unfrozen zone to the frozen zone was calculated using Harlan’s model and the frozen fringe hypothesis. The discrete element application MatDEM 3.0 was used to incorporate the mathematical model for computation, and the output was compared to the result of indoor unidirectional freezing tests. The soil closest to the stable freezing front had the largest water content, according to the findings of numerical modeling and laboratory testing, and unfrozen water in the soil would move from the unfrozen zone to the frozen zone under the action of water potential difference. The results of laboratory tests and numerical simulations can accurately describe the temperature variation and water migration of soil during freezing, demonstrating the accuracy of the established discrete element model and proving the viability of the discrete element method in the study of frozen soil. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:21:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5e267373ad23403d811ad4c00c95b21d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:21:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-5e267373ad23403d811ad4c00c95b21d2023-11-17T17:50:04ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-03-01157133810.3390/w15071338Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element MethodWei Shan0Shiyao Qu1Ying Guo2Institute of Cold Regions Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Cold Regions Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Cold Regions Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaA hydrological–thermal coupling discrete element model depicting the unidirectional freezing process of unsaturated silty clay was developed in order to investigate the migration law of unfrozen water in unsaturated silty clay under unidirectional freezing circumstances. The model uses the contact heat transfer equation to calculate the heat transfer process while taking into account the latent heat of phase transition. To obtain the silty clay’s freezing characteristic curve, the model combines the unfrozen water content curve with the Clausius–Clapeyron equation. The water migration from the unfrozen zone to the frozen zone was calculated using Harlan’s model and the frozen fringe hypothesis. The discrete element application MatDEM 3.0 was used to incorporate the mathematical model for computation, and the output was compared to the result of indoor unidirectional freezing tests. The soil closest to the stable freezing front had the largest water content, according to the findings of numerical modeling and laboratory testing, and unfrozen water in the soil would move from the unfrozen zone to the frozen zone under the action of water potential difference. The results of laboratory tests and numerical simulations can accurately describe the temperature variation and water migration of soil during freezing, demonstrating the accuracy of the established discrete element model and proving the viability of the discrete element method in the study of frozen soil.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1338discrete element methodhydrological–thermal couplingnumerical analysisunidirectional freezing |
| spellingShingle | Wei Shan Shiyao Qu Ying Guo Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element Method Water discrete element method hydrological–thermal coupling numerical analysis unidirectional freezing |
| title | Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element Method |
| title_full | Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element Method |
| title_fullStr | Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element Method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element Method |
| title_short | Hydrological–Thermal Coupling Simulation of Silty Clay during Unidirectional Freezing Based on the Discrete Element Method |
| title_sort | hydrological thermal coupling simulation of silty clay during unidirectional freezing based on the discrete element method |
| topic | discrete element method hydrological–thermal coupling numerical analysis unidirectional freezing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1338 |
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