A thermomechanical model for argillaceous hard soils–weak rocks: application to THM simulation of deep excavations in claystone

The paper presents the enhancement of an existing constitutive model for argillaceous hard soils–weak rocks to incorporate non-isothermal conditions, to be used in coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) simulations of underground excavations subjected to temperature variations within the context of deep geological nuclear waste disposal. The proposed thermo-elastoplastic extension accounts for the effect of temperature on the yield and plastic potential functions and on the elastic stiffness. The resulting model is validated through the simulation of relevant non-isothermal laboratory tests reported in the literature. The model is then applied to the coupled THM simulation of an in situ heating test conducted at the Meuse/Haute-Marne underground research laboratory in Bure, France, excavated in the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone. Results show that the incorporation of thermal effects into the constitutive description of the host rock plays a significant role in the behaviour of the excavation when subjected to thermal loading, particularly in the evolution of the excavation fractured zone.