Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Simulation of a Heating and Hydration Experimental Study (the China-Mock-Up) in GMZ Bentonite

This paper presents a numerical study of the China-Mock-up test, with the purpose of evaluating the performance of Gaomiaozi (GMZ) bentonite under coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) conditions. In the paper, the basic THM characteristics of GMZ bentonite are presented first. The formulation of coupling heat, moisture (liquid water and water vapour) and air transfer is given. The model of Alonso-Gens (1) is incorporated to reproduce the mechanical behavior of the GMZ bentonite under unsaturated conditions. With the parameters determined from experimental investigations, numerical simulations of the China-Mock-up test are carried out using the code of LAGAMINE. Owing to the lack of experimental data at present stage, a qualitative analysis of the predictive results is realized. The results suggest that the proposed model is able to reproduce the mechanical behavior of GMZ bentonite, and to predict moisture and air motions under thermal solicitations.