The role of temperature and relative humidity in long-term mechanical and chemical degradation of polyester fibres due to hydrolysis and creep is well documented. This study presents the results of a thermo-hydraulic 2D finite-element model used to estimate the magnitude and distribution of in situ temperature, relative humidity, and degree of saturation in the backfill of reinforced soil walls (RSWs) due to changes in atmospheric boundary conditions. Boundary conditions for in-air temperature, relative humidity and daily precipitation were taken from weather databases for continental, Mediterranean, desert, and tropical climates. Scenarios with different water tables, and permeable or impermeable zones around the reinforced soil zone were analyzed. Numerical outcomes show that mean in-soil temperature values can be related to the mean annual atmospheric value for each geographical location, with relevant fluctuations limited to the first 3 m of distance from the vertical and horizontal boundaries. In-soil relative humidity values depended on the climate dataset and the permeability of the zones adjacent to the reinforced soil. The results of this study and lessons learned are a valuable precursor for future studies of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical modelling of polyester geosynthetic RSWs under in situ operational conditions.

中文翻译：

---

加筋土墙土内条件的热水力数值模拟

由于水解和蠕变，温度和相对湿度在聚酯纤维长期机械和化学降解中的作用已有充分记录。本研究介绍了热工水力二维有限元模型的结果，该模型用于估计由于大气边界变化而导致的加筋土墙 (RSW) 回填中的原位温度、相对湿度和饱和度的大小和分布状况。空气温度、相对湿度和日降水量的边界条件取自大陆、地中海、沙漠和热带气候的天气数据库。分析了不同地下水位以及加筋土区域周围渗透或不渗透区域的情况。数值结果表明，平均土壤温度值可以与每个地理位置的年平均大气值相关，相关波动仅限于距垂直和水平边界的前 3 m 距离。土壤中的相对湿度值取决于气候数据集和加固土壤附近区域的渗透性。这项研究的结果和经验教训为未来在现场操作条件下研究聚酯土工合成材料 RSW 的热-水-机械耦合模型提供了宝贵的先导。土壤中的相对湿度值取决于气候数据集和加固土壤附近区域的渗透性。这项研究的结果和经验教训为未来在现场操作条件下研究聚酯土工合成材料 RSW 的热-水-机械耦合模型提供了宝贵的先导。土壤中的相对湿度值取决于气候数据集和加固土壤附近区域的渗透性。这项研究的结果和经验教训为未来在现场操作条件下研究聚酯土工合成材料 RSW 的热-水-机械耦合模型提供了宝贵的先导。