Multiscale freeze-thaw modeling published in Computers and Geotechnics

Multiscale modeling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior in ice-bonded granular media subject to freeze-thaw cycles

Ice-rich soils in permafrost and seasonally frozen ground change their behavior markedly through freeze-thaw cycles, driven by coupled thermal, hydraulic and mechanical processes and phase change.

We couple the material point method at the macroscale with the discrete element method at the grain scale, embedding a DEM representative volume element of ice-bonded particles at each material point.

The framework reproduces freeze-thaw behavior, shows how ice bonding strengthens the soil and how melting sharply reduces bearing capacity, and links these macroscopic responses back to their grain-scale mechanisms.