Hydromechanical analysis of slurry infiltration with coupled CFD–DEM method

The tunnel face stability is closely related to the migration behavior and clogging mechanism of the slurry particles in granular soils, which is not yet fully understood. In this study, the coupled computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) is adopted to investigate the infiltra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal for numerical and analytical methods in geomechanics Vol. 48; no. 11; pp. 3032 - 3053
Main Authors Cheng, Yang, Wang, Tuo, Wang, Pei, Qin, Su, Zhou, Wan‐Huan, Yin, Zhen‐Yu
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bognor Regis Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.08.2024
Subjects
Aggregation
Boring machines
Clay
clogging mechanism
Cohesion
Computational fluid dynamics
Discrete element method
Fluid dynamics
High pressure
Hydrodynamics
Infiltration
Infiltration rate
JKR energy
micromechanics
Mindlin plates
particle migration
Particle shape
Sand
Sand & gravel
Shape
Slurries
Slurry infiltration
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Summary:The tunnel face stability is closely related to the migration behavior and clogging mechanism of the slurry particles in granular soils, which is not yet fully understood. In this study, the coupled computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) is adopted to investigate the infiltration behavior of slurry at the particle scale. The full Johnson–Kendall–Roberts (JKR) contact model describing interparticle behavior that accounts for cohesion present even when particles are microseparated after collisions is adopted for clay‐clay or clay‐sand particles and the Hertz–Mindlin model is used for sand‐sand particles. Through simulations, the mechanism of the slurry particle's blockage is identified as physical, frictional and cohesive modes, and slurry particle migration usually undergoes the process of aggregation‐destruction‐migration‐reassembly. Meanwhile, the influences of pressure, cohesive force, and particle shape on infiltration are also analyzed. The results indicate that high pressure lengthens the infiltration path and increases the infiltration rate. The increase in cohesion enhances the effective clogging of the sand column by the slurry, and particles with smaller sphericity are more likely to clog in the sand column. These findings may enhance our understanding of the slurry infiltration mechanism and its practical application in TBM tunneling.
ISSN:0363-9061
1096-9853
DOI:10.1002/nag.3762