Numerical study on consolidation of composite ground by theory of homogenization

In this paper, the mathematical theory of homogenization, which is developed to understand the macro-behavior of composite with microstructures is proposed in the analysis of consolidation of composite ground. Firstly, the local problem determining the micro-characteristic functions and the global problem determining the homogenized effective properties of composite ground are derived from the underlying equations of Biot consolidation theory; then, non-homogeneous composite ground with the different elastic modulus and coefficient of permeability between the reinforcement and the soil is transferred into homogeneous ground. As a result, the FEM analysis of consolidation of homogeneous ground is carried out. The consolidations of composite grounds with the same replacement ratio but different layout of the reinforcements (square and lattice arrangement) are introduced and compared as two cases in this paper. It is found that both the FEM solutions to the macro-settlement and the lateral macro-deformation of composite ground for the case of lattice arrangement are much less than the case of square arrangement. It's shown that the macro-behavior of composite ground is determined by the micro-characteristic function, which is characteristic of the shape and geometric of microstructures.