Feedback mechanisms in chemo-mechanical multi-scale modeling of soil and sediment compaction

Geomaterials respond to some environmental circumstances through generation of a series of feedback mechanisms of damage, deformation, erosion, and chemical processes or reactions: e.g. osmosis, dissolution and precipitation, mineral transformations. These mechanisms are coupled at different scales. Several natural geomechanical processes, as sediment compaction, rock weathering or landsliding appear to include such sequences of mechanisms. A multi-physics model of sediment compaction is examined from the point of view of feedbacks and feedforwards for the phenomena involved at micro- and meso-scale. Two types of feedback are identified: constitutive feedbacks and boundary condition feedbacks. A numerical sensitivity study points out which feedbacks and feedforwards are strong and which are weak. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.