Numerical simulation of elasto-plastic electro-osmosis consolidation at large strain

Abstract

In this paper, a numerical solution for the electro-osmosis consolidation of clay in multi-dimensional domains at large strains is presented, with the coupling of the soil mechanical behaviour, pore water transport and electrical fields being considered. In particular, the Modified Cam Clay model is employed to describe the elasto-plastic behaviour of clay, and some empirical expressions are used to consider the nonlinear variation of the hydraulic and electrical conductivities of the soil mass during the consolidation processes. The implementation of the theoretical model in a finite element code allows for analysis of the evolution of the transient response of the clay subjected to electro-osmosis treatment. The proposed model is verified via comparison with data from a large strain electro-osmosis laboratory test, to demonstrate its accuracy and effectiveness. Various numerical examples are also investigated to study the deformation characteristics and time-dependent evolution of the excess pore pressure. Finally, a well-documented field application of electro-osmosis is simulated to provide further verification. The results show that the numerical solution is effective in predicting the nonlinear behaviour of clay during electro-osmosis consolidation.