Dual-porosity elastoplastic analyses of non-isothermal one-dimensional consolidation

A numerical solution, using the finite difference method, and based on a porothermo-elasto-plastic formulation for dual-porosity one-dimensional consolidation has been presented. The model is fully coupled to ensure the interactive behavior of fluid flow, heat flow and solid deformations in the conservation of momentum, mass and energy equations. A bi-linear stress-strain relationship is used to accommodate elastoplastic deformation behavior. A double effective stress law, proposed by Elsworth and Bai (1992), is applied to describe constitutive relationships among the stresses, pressures and temperatures. In order to examine the dual-porosity and thermal effects on the soil consolidation individually, isothermal and non-isothermal consolidations for a dual-porosity column are analyzed. In comparison to the single porosity approach, the present study shows that the pore pressure dissipation is faster and Mandel's effect (Mandel, 1953) is more pronounced at early times of the source disturbance for dual-porosity consolidation. One of the significant parameters affecting the dual-porosity consolidation is the fracture spacing (fracture density); the smaller the fracture spacing, the faster the column drainage. © 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.