Modeling visco-elastic–plastic deformation of soil with modified Merchant model

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences Vol. 66; no. 5; pp. 1497 - 1504
• Main Authors: Ye, Shujun, Xue, Yuqun, Wu, Jichun, Li, Qinfen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.07.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biogeosciences; Deformation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Environmental science; Environmental Science and Engineering; Geochemistry; Geology; Hydrology/Water Resources; Indexing in process; Land subsidence; Original Article; Plastic deformation; Plastics; Sediments; soil; Soils; subsidence; Terrestrial Pollution; Viscoelasticity; China; Modified Merchant model; Land subsidence model; Visco-elastic–plastic deformation
• ISSN: 1866-6280; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-011-1389-x

Eighty-four to ninety-eight percent of land subsidence in Shanghai City is caused by the visco-elastic–plastic deformation of sediments. Numerical experiments are done on the sediments with visco-elastic–plastic deformation in Shanghai to verify the modified Merchant model (MM model) and land subsidence model based on the modified Merchant (LS-MM) model. There are two advantages of the MM model and the LS-MM model. One is that only a few parameters are involved. There are three parameters in the MM model and four parameters in the LS-MM model. The other one is that both models can describe elastic, elastic–plastic and visco-elastic deformation in addition to visco-elastic–plastic deformation. The corresponding models are developed by setting proper values of the three parameters of μ, α 1 and α 2. The two advantages make the LS-MM model flexible and applicable to the simulation of the large regional land subsidence with visco-elastic–plastic deformation and other different kinds of deformation. The results can be improved by variable parameters, especially specific storage.