Thermomechanical response of a poroelastic half-space soil medium subjected to time harmonic loads

The thermomechanical responses of a porous elastic medium subjected to time harmonic loads (normal force and thermal source) are investigated analytically in the context of generalised thermoelastic theory with one relaxation time. The material of the foundation, obeying Biot's dynamic poroelastic theory, is idealised as a uniform, fully saturated poroelastic half-space stratum. The coupled governing equations are established based on Biot's dynamic poroelastic theory and on generalised thermoelastic theory. Assuming the disturbances to be harmonically time dependent, the general solutions of stress, displacement, temperature distribution and excess pore water pressure are deduced using the Fourier transform, and the transformed solutions are numerically inverted. The differences a mong the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamic model (THMD), the hydro-mechanical dynamic model (HMD) and the thermo-elastic dynamic model (TMD) are discussed. In addition, the effects of the thermal loading frequency on the displacement, stress, temperature distribution and excess pore water pressure components are analysed in the numerical results. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.