Speaker
Description
Polymer fluids, a blend of polymers in water, provide a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solution for supporting deep underground excavations. Their support mechanism stems from the drag force exerted at the grain scale. However, as non-Newtonian fluids, their full potential in construction applications remains untapped due to limited understanding of their behavior. In this study, a specialized pore-network model (PNM) was developed to analyze polymer fluid flow in sands, alongside a custom module for calculating grain drag forces. This framework enables robust statistical analyses at the representative elementary volume (REV) scale. The model has been thoroughly validated through in-house experimental observations and detailed pore-scale numerical simulations. The insights gained from this work provide a scientific foundation for optimizing the design and risk management of deep excavation support systems utilizing polymer fluids.
| Country | United Kingdom |
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