Hygrothermomechanical evaluation of porous media under finite deformation: Part II—model validations and field simulations

A set of field equations, the associated finite element model formulations and numerical methodology for thermomechanical response evaluations of fluid-saturated media under finite deformation have been presented in Part I of the companion manuscript.1 In this paper, the formulations and methodologies are initially validated through benchmark model comparisons prior to constitutive model sensitivity analysis and subsequent thermomechanical response determination. The responses for the testbed problems, using the developed solution algorithm, compare favourably with the reported results. The response investigations for complex geomechanical problems illustrate the general applicability of the developed finite element model simulator in predicting the long-term thermal, pore pressure, displacement and stress responses of fluid-saturated porous media subjected to thermomechanical loading, as encountered in nuclear waste management scenarios. The presented formulations and numerical procedures can also be used to investigate a wide range of engineering problems involving hygrothermomechanical response prediction.