Heat source function method for coupling analyses of thermal consolidation in saturated soil

Based on the governing equations of thermal couplingconsolidation for saturated homogeneous isotropic porous materials, thesolutions in transform space are given by repeated Fourier transformationsand Laplace transformation. Considering initial temperature field as afictitious heat source or equalizing heat source as specified initialtemperature field, an analytical method for calculating the unsteadytemperature field, stress field and displacement field of saturated soilsdue to instantaneous line heat source is deduced by using the so-called heatsource function method. The influence of full coupling effects between thefield quantities are considered. By integration in temporal and spatialdomain, a calculation method of two-dimensional thermal consolidationproblem with initial temperature field and variable strength of heat sourcewith time is established. For convenience of analyses, the concepts ofthermal consolidation time factor and coefficient of thermal consolidationare defined. The evolutions of temperature, pore water pressure anddisplacement with time factor around rectangular heat source are analyzed bythe proposed method. The thermal consolidation characteristics and itsmechanism are studied. It is showed that this method can be used to solvesome complicated thermal consolidation problems effectively, and has animportant theoretical and practical meaning.