Preliminary Numerical Analysis of the Impact of Heterogeneity on Seepage in Frozen Soils
Publication: Cold Regions Engineering 2024: Sustainable and Resilient Engineering Solutions for Changing Cold Regions
ABSTRACT
A standard practice in seepage analyses for mining dams with frozen components is to apply homogeneous hydraulic properties, although soil is inherently heterogeneous. In this study, a basic numerical model was developed to evaluate the impact of soil heterogeneity on seepage analyses. Sixteen combinations of soil type and heterogeneity distributions at 12 sub-zero temperatures ranging from −0.1°C to −5°C were analysed. The results of the heterogeneous cases are compared to a reference case considering equivalent homogeneous conditions. The findings suggest that homogeneous cases generally underestimate seepage and preferential water flow compared to heterogeneous cases. This research is a first step in evaluating shortcomings of the current engineering practice when modelling frozen soil water flow.
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Published In
Cold Regions Engineering 2024: Sustainable and Resilient Engineering Solutions for Changing Cold Regions
Pages: 124 - 133
History
Published online: May 9, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Analysis (by type)
- Chemical properties
- Chemistry
- Engineering fundamentals
- Environmental engineering
- Frozen soils
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Heterogeneity
- Homogeneity
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials engineering
- Numerical analysis
- Seepage
- Soil analysis
- Soil mechanics
- Soil properties
- Soils (by type)
Authors
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