What the study found
The study found that a thermo-hydro-mechanical coupled field-enriched finite element method can simulate water-ice phase transition induced crack propagation in rock masses and the evolution of the water-ice phase transition interface.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors state that the method can be used to simulate frost-induced cracking in slope rock masses in shallow cold regions, and they present it as a tool for representing the coupled behavior of temperature, phase, fluid flow, and deformation.
What the researchers tested
The researchers proposed a coupled multiphysics finite element method based on thermo-poroelastic theory and the Allen–Chan equation. They introduced two field variables to describe crack properties and water-ice phase transition, and solved the governing equations with a staggered Newton-Raphson iterative algorithm.
What worked and what didn't
The method was validated against homogeneous freezing of intact media, unidirectional freezing of cracking media, and freezing and deformation of intact sandstone using experimental results and previous numerical solutions. It was also validated for water-ice phase transition induced crack propagation in fractured rock masses by comparison with experimental results and FDEM results, and the numerical results showed that the method could accurately simulate the target process and the phase transition interface.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed limitations, and the reported validation is limited to the cases named in the summary.
Key points
- A thermo-hydro-mechanical coupled field-enriched finite element method was proposed for water-ice phase transition induced crack propagation in rock masses.
- The method uses thermo-poroelastic theory, the Allen–Chan equation, two field variables, and a staggered Newton-Raphson iterative algorithm.
- Validation included homogeneous freezing, unidirectional freezing of cracking media, and freezing and deformation of intact sandstone.
- The method was also compared with experimental results and FDEM results for fractured rock masses.
- The abstract says the method can accurately simulate crack propagation and the water-ice phase transition interface.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Coupled finite element method simulates freeze-induced crack propagation
- Authors:
- Xiaoping Zhou, Kunlin Liu, Han Li
- Institutions:
- Wuhan University
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-11
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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