Thermal conductivity and prediction model of mucky silty clay in Nanjing floodplain

To investigate the thermal properties of mucky silty clay in Nanjing floodplain, the effects of different water contents, dry densities, and degrees of saturation and porosities on the thermal conductivity of mucky silty clay were studied by an unsteady thermal probe. Based on the mixed serial-parallel thermal conduction model, a prediction model for the modification of thermal conductivity of mucky silty clay in Nanjing floodplain with high water content was established by analyzing the relationship between the thermal conductivity of mucky silty clay with the water content, the dry density, the degree of saturation, and the porosity. The results indicate that the critical water content of mucky silty clay in floodplain of Nanjing can reach 25%. The thermal conductivity increases linearly with the increase of the dry density, increases exponentially with the increase of the saturation while decreases exponentially with the increase of the porosity. Compared with the three heat conduction models and the measured data of other sites in Nanjing, the proposed prediction model for mucky silty clay with high water content has better accuracy. © 2019, Editorial Department of Journal of Southeast University. All right reserved.