A 3D discrete model for soil desiccation cracking in consideration of moisture diffusion  

作　　者：Chengzeng Yan Tie Wang 

机构地区：[1]Faculty of Engineering,China University of Geosciences,Wuhan,430074,China [2]State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Healthy Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering,China University of Mining and Technology,Xuzhou,221116,China [3]National Center for International Research on Deep Earth Drilling and Resource Development,China University of Geosciences,Wuhan,430074,China

出　　处：《Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering》2025年第1期614-635,共22页岩石力学与岩土工程学报(英文)

基　　金：supported by the State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Healthy Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering(Grant No.SKLGDUEK2206);National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11872340).

摘　　要：Soil desiccation cracking is a common phenomenon on the earth surface.Numerical modeling is an effective approach to study the desiccation cracking mechanism of soil.This work develops a novel 3D moisture diffusion discrete model that is capable of dynamically assessing the effect of cracking on moisture diffusion and allowing moisture to be discontinuous on both sides of the cracks.Then,the parametric analysis of the moisture exchange coefficient in the 3D moisture diffusion discrete model is carried out for moisture diffusion in continuous media,and the selection criterion of the moisture exchange coefficient for the unbroken cohesive element is given.Subsequently,an example of moisture migration in a medium with one crack is provided to illustrate the crack hindering effect on moisture migration.Finally,combining the 3D moisture diffusion discrete model with the finite-discrete element method(FDEM),the moisture diffusion-fracture coupling model is built to study the desiccation cracking in a strip soil and the crack pattern of a rectangular soil.The evolution of crack area and volume with moisture content is quantitatively analyzed.The modeling number and average width of cracks in the strip soil show a good consistency with the experimental results,and the crack pattern of the rectangular soil matches well with the existing numerical results,validating the coupled moisture diffusion-fracture model.Additionally,the parametric study of soil desiccation cracking is performed.The developed model offers a powerful tool for exploring soil desiccation cracking.

关 键 词：Moisture migration Soil desiccation cracking Crack hindering effect Crack pattern Finite-discrete element method(FDEM) 

分 类 号：TU45[建筑科学—岩土工程]