Centrifuge Modelling Approach to Assess Soil Thermal Properties
Centrifuge Modelling Approach to Assess Soil Thermal Properties
Climate change has increased the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earths surface, contributing to rising temperatures and posing potential risks to geotechnical infrastructure. The thermal properties of soil are governed by a complex interplay of soil micro- and macro-scale features, and the energy input it receives. This study presents a laboratory investigation of thermal gradient development in sand using centrifuge testing through radiative heating using infrared and visible light heat lamps replicating diurnal variations under varying gravitation conditions (20g and 40g). The thermal response of cylindrical sand models with different surface albedo treatments was analysed using thermocouples installed at predefined depths, with higher sensor density near the soil surface. Comparative 1g tests were also conducted to isolate the effects of gravitational forces on thermal gradients in soil. Under 1g conditions, the observed thermal response deviated from expectations based solely on albedo. Increasing the gravitational level to 20g and 40g introduced strong forced convection within the centrifuge, leading to a substantial reduction in effective radiative heat input, as confirmed by decreasing pyranometer readings with increasing Ng. Under these conditions, air temperature fluctuations were moderated, and albedo-driven differences in soil temperature became more pronounced, with the dark-coloured column consistently exhibiting higher surface and subsurface temperatures. Experiments under IR irradiation showed trends similar to VL irradiation but at higher temperature magnitudes due to greater infrared absorption. Across all conditions, thermal effects were largely confined to the near-surface region, with the strongest temperature gradients occurring within the upper 0.5 m of soil.
Mariya Dayana Puthurainikkal Joseph; Elisabeth Bowman; A. V. Tiago Gaspar
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Session 2: Scaling laws and fundamentals
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-105