Developing numerical method of fractured porous media is of paramount importance in geoscience applications. Previous studies have revealed that the discrete fractures and cavities as well as the heterogeneity have considerable influences on hydraulic property of porous media. This work presents a numerical investigation on fluid flow in heterogeneous porous media with the consideration of flux connection of fracture–cavity network. A hybrid-dimensional modeling approach combined with the dual fracture-pore model is presented. Then, the numerical scheme is derived from Galerkin finite element method. Especially, the numerical treatment on flux interaction of multiple fractures is elaborated. Next, this model is verified by a benchmark study, and grid convergence test is performed to show the grid independence. Later, a fractured porous medium is simulated with different states of cavity. The effects of impermeable and conductive fractures on fluid flow are studied. In contrast to the homogeneous situation, we consider the effects of heterogeneity. Meanwhile, a comparison study is conducted to investigate the impacts of heterogeneity, boundary conditions and conductivity of the fracture–cavity network on fluid flow. Furthermore, pressure deviation induced by heterogeneity is analyzed with different conductivities of fractures and cavities. It appears that pressure distribution is highly related to fractures conductivity and the state of cavities, where the influence of heterogeneity on the high-conductivity fractures is relatively smaller than the low-conductivity.@en

This work investigates numerical method and equivalent continuum approach (ECA) of fluid flow in fractured porous media. The commonly used discrete fracture model (DFM) without upscaling needs full discretization of all fractures. It enjoys the merit of capturing each fracture accurately but will get in trouble with mesh partition and low computational efficiency, especially when a complex geometry is involved. In this study, we develop an efficient implicit scheme with adaptive iteration, in which an improved ECA is devised and then integrated in this scheme. Numerical studies show that the proposed numerical scheme improves the convergence condition and computational efficiency. Then, a test is conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of using superposition principle of permeability tensor in upscaling. Based on these, different strategies are applied to simulate fluid flow in fracture networks with a complex geometry. It is demonstrated that the proposed ECA is able to reproduce the results computed by DFM. The accuracy depends on resolution of background grids. The presented method enjoys a low computational cost and desirable convergence performance compared with the standard DFM in which equivalent continuum is not considered.@en

Temperature variation is an essential factor to influence the stability of concrete structure. In contrast to the uniform distribution of temperature in most existing approaches, this paper aims to study the natural temperature distribution in concrete structure and analyze its impact on structural mechanical behaviors in field. As a case study, an underwater shield tunnel is investigated using the presented method. Firstly, temperature sensors are installed in different positions to achieve real-time monitoring in field. Then, a statistical model is derived by monitoring data to describe temperature variation. As a core component of the approach, the devised statistical model is integrated into our program to determine the external loads imposed on model. Finally, the mechanical behaviors of concrete structure are discussed under uneven temperature distribution. Analytical results indicated the magnitudes of temperature distribution is related to different positions of structure, in which the significant distinctions can be observed at upper and lower of tunnel as well as the inside and outside structures. Also, the tensile stress of tunnel lining increases with the rise of temperature, for instance, in this case study per temperature rising would lead to an increment 25.3 KPa of tensile stress. As a promising application, the analytical results provide an assessment of concrete structure stability.

@en

The investigation of concrete structural performance is crucial to maintain the stability of infrastructure. In order to assess structural stability, this work focuses on the development of an integrated framework to detect damaged conditions in the field and analyze their effect on mechanical performance through nondestructive testing (NDT) technology and numerical models. First, a ground penetrating radar (GPR) and an infrared camera work collaboratively to identify the damaged positions of the concrete structure, with parameters calibrated by laboratory experiments. Then, a finite element model is established to study structural mechanical performance based on field conditions and detected results. In addition, the influenced regions induced by local damage are studied under different boundary conditions. As a case study, the devised method was employed in the Nanjing Yangtze River tunnel for stability assessment and disaster prevention. The detected results of the damaged conditions agree well with the actual conditions in the field. Numerical results show that the circumferential stress component is more significant than that observed longitudinally. The effect of local damage on stress implies a positive correlation with the rise of water pressure, in which the maximum stress response to the variation of water level is 45KPa per meter.

@en