Simulation aided testing of hydro-mechanical processes on clay

This paper presents a study focused on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a plastic clay under partially saturated conditions. Clay remoulded samples were dried using vapour transfer under one-dimensional conditions. Samples underwent an important vertical shrinkage on drying, which progressed along more than one week. To study the time evolution of this phenomenon, simulation aided techniques were used to analyse the progression of suction at local scale and to determine the time required to equilibrate homogeneously the sample. In this case the fully coupled thermo-hydromechanical finite element code Code_Bright [1] was used to analyse this process. The simulation adequately followed the evolution of sample shrinkage measured experimentally. The determination of the suction equalisation time also agreed with the experimental information.