A new temperature
-
controlled oedometer h
as been designed at Imperial College London and commissioned to
investig
ate the thermo
-
hydro
-
mechanical
behaviour of soils. Temperature control is achieved by submerging
the s
pecimen
in a water bath. The water
temperature is regulated by
heaters positioned
radially around the
s
pecimen
, or by an external unit.
T
he temp
erature can be varied between 5°C and
85
°C
. The temperature
gradient across the s
pecimen
is minimised by circulating water beneath the s
pecimen
through a hollow plate.
A thermo
-
mechanical, elas
tic, finite element model of the equipment has been produced using
the
Imperial
College Finite Element Program (ICFEP). The experimental results are used to develop and validate the
numerical model. The model is then used to inform and improve the
experime
ntal testing programme.
The
accuracy of temperature control has already been established. The testing programme includes heating tests at
constant applied stress, and loading tests at discrete temperature values. Of particular interest is thermally
-
induced
overconsolidation
behaviour
. The experimental results are used to verify the existing numerical
framework and to establi
sh the effect of temperature on
the
behaviour
o
f
saturated soil.