Applied Sciences (Oct 2020)
Study on Two-Phase Fluid-Solid Coupling Characteristics in Saturated Zone of Subgrade Considering the Effects of Fine Particles Migration
Abstract
The fluid seepage in saturated zone of subgrade promotes the migration of fine particles in the filler, resulting in the change of pore structure and morphology of the filler and the deformation of solid skeleton, which affects the fluid seepage characteristics. Repeatedly, the muddy interlayer, mud pumping, and other diseases are finally formed. Based on the theory of two-phase seepage, the theory of porous media seepage, and the principle of effective stress in porous media, a two-phase fluid-solid coupling mathematical model in saturated zone of subgrade considering the effects of fine particles migration is established. The mathematical model is numerically calculated with the software COMSOL Multiphysics®. The two-phase seepage characteristics and the deformation characteristics of the solid skeleton in saturated zone of the subgrade are studied. The research results show that the volume fraction of fine particles first increases then decreases and finally becomes stable with the increase of time, due to the continuous erosion and migration of fine particles in saturated zone of the subgrade. The volume fraction of fine particles for the upper part of the subgrade is larger than that for the lower part of the subgrade. The porosity, the velocity of fluid, the velocity of fine particles, and the permeability show a trend of increasing first and then stabilizing with time; the pore water pressure has no significant changes with time. The vertical displacement increases first and then decreases slightly with the increase of time, and finally tends to be stable. For the filler with a larger initial volume fraction of fine particles, the maximum value of the volume fraction of fine particles caused by fluid seepage is larger, and the time required to reach the maximum value is shorter. It can be concluded that the volume fraction of fine particles in the subgrade filler should be minimized on the premise that the filler gradation meets the requirements of the specification in actual engineering.
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