Gas flow along localized dilatant pathways is considered as an important gas transfer mechanism in saturated plastic clays such as Boom clay. The process involves micro-fracturing of the pore space at rising gas pressures, gas flow and possibly sealing of the newly-created pathwa
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Gas flow along localized dilatant pathways is considered as an important gas transfer mechanism in saturated plastic clays such as Boom clay. The process involves micro-fracturing of the pore space at rising gas pressures, gas flow and possibly sealing of the newly-created pathways.
Modelling gas flow along localized dilatant pathways presents a number of challenges associated with: (1) the very strong coupling between the hydraulic and mechanical aspects of the problem, (2) the microscopic scale of the process and (3) the important influence of material heterogeneities on the process dynamics.
This contribution presents a review of existing theoretical and numerical frameworks for damage, strain localisation and fracture of clay materials. In particular, it addresses the suitability of these approaches as a basis for the development of new modelling framework for gas flow along localized dilatant pathways.
The research was carried out within the WP GAS of EURAD (2019 - 2024).@en
