Thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling in clay barriers

A complete thermo-hydro-mechanical model is presented to treat the complex coupling problems in the clay barrier. The formulation related to the heat transfer, moisture transfer (liquid water and water vapour), air transfer in a deformable unsaturated soil is given. The formulation of the Alonso-Gens’s mechanical model for unsaturated soil is also incorporated. Finally, a small scale wetting – heating test on compacted bentonite is performed as a validation test. The numerical results are compared with respect to the experimental measurements.