ABSTRACT
Evolution of an idealized spherical cavern leached out from a salt formation can be described by a first order integro-differential equation when constitutive laws such as Norton-Hoff law, Munson-Dawson law (which accounts for transient creep), Marketos-Spiers law (which accounts for pressure-solution creep and dislocation creep) are considered. Such a solution sheds some light on the behavior of salt caverns submitted to various types of loadings. In addition, a moving-boundary formulation, representing progressive cavern creation, is proposed.
