A THM stress-strain framework for modelling the performance of argillaceous materials in deep repositories for radioactive waste

In the scenarios for deep, geological nuclear-waste repositories, clayey soils will be hydrated, heated, cooled and dried. The numerical modelling of these mechanical processes is a key issue. Performance assessment of deep repositories for heat-generating radioactive waste would benefit from improvements in mechanical stress-strain constitutive modelling of the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour. The presented framework allows progress in understanding the most involved phenomena relevant to nuclear-waste repositories and their coupled nature. It could be used both in the design and in the performance assessment of repositories. It may be applied to disposal in clay formations and to hard-rock repositories where artificially compacted clay is to be used as buffer and backfill. Such a constitutive framework may help in understanding some unexplained or controversial behaviours and in defining experimental programmes to answer key questions. (author)