Study on Model of Heat and Moisture Transfer in Freezing Soil

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The purpose of this paper is to present a numerical model of coupled heat, moisture transfer and their effects on the porosity changes of soil during the freezing process. Coupling among heat, moisture, and mechanical deformations is solved based on finite element method. The equilibrium equations of freezing process are investigated based on segregation theory. The numerical model is applied to a 2D problem of a laboratory frost heave test. Numerical simulation reveals the porosity characters during the freezing process. The frost depths and deformations also the porosity in consideration of the orthotropic properties of frozen soil is discussed.