Influence of numerical model mesh properties on predicted in soil temperature, relative humidity and degree of saturation of reinforced soil structures
Geosynthetic materials are routinely used in soil reinforcement and stabilization applications. They have proven to be an important part of the sustainable solution for reinforced soil walls (RSWs). For RSW constructed with polyester (PET) reinforcement materials, the influence of temperature and relative humidity on the potential chemical and mechanical degradation of PET fibres due to hydrolysis is well documented in the literature. Consequently, in-soil environmental conditions should be accounted for at the time of design. A thermo-hydraulic (TH) finite element model is described in this study and is used to predict changes in soil temperature, relative humidity and degree of saturation due to temporal atmospheric boundary conditions representing a Mediterranean climate. An idealized 15-meter high RSW with concrete facing panels and PET strap reinforcement layers was modelled. Variations in mesh element size, distribution and type were studied. Numerical results showed that differences in temperature, relative humidity and saturation degree were detectable at the near surface. However, practical differences in predicted in-soil behavior due to mesh geometry were judged to be negligible.The authors wish to thank Aaron Kim from GECO Industrial (Korea, Rep.) for providing valuable data for polymeric straps from reliability assessment testing records. The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DECA) of the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya·BarcelonaTech (UPC) and the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) and the funding received from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the “Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D” (CEX2018-000797-S-20-4).Postprint (author's final draft
