Particle Finite Element Analysis of Geotechnical Problems

Soils may experience extreme deformations in geotechnical problems such as penetration of devices (e.g. cones and torpedo anchors) into ground, the interaction, during installation or under operation conditions, of offshore infrastructure with the seabed, and landslides.

The standard Lagrangian finite element method cannot handle these problems well because of the magnitude of deformation leads not only to mesh distortion but also the severe boundary evolutions. In our lab, a novel hybrid numerical approach, called the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM), has been developed for modelling geotechnical problem with no real limitations on the magnitude of the deformations of geomaterials. Making use of particles to represent computational domains but resolving the governing equations on meshes, the PFEM inherits both the capability of particle approaches for tackling extreme deformations and the solid mathematical foundation of the standard finite element method.1-10

References

  • Zhang, X., Krabbenhoft, K., Pedroso, D. M., Lyamin, A. V., Sheng, D., da Silva, M. V., & Wang, D. Particle finite element analysis of large deformation and granular flow problems. Computers and Geotechnics 54, 133-142 (2013).
  • Zhang, X., Krabbenhoft, K., & Sheng, D. Particle finite element analysis of the granular column collapse problem. Granunar Matter 16(4), 609-619 (2014).
  • Zhang, X., Sheng, D., Sloan, S.W. & Bleyer, J. Lagrangian modelling of large deformation induced by progressive failure of sensitive clays with elastoviscoplasticity. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 112, 963-989 (2017).

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