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On coupled problems in geomechanics
Author(s) -
Ehlers Wolfgang,
Graf Tobias,
Acartürk Ayhan
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
pamm
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1617-7061
DOI - 10.1002/pamm.200700607
Subject(s) - geomechanics , porous medium , finite element method , viscoplasticity , computation , swelling , flow (mathematics) , partial differential equation , mechanics , solver , poromechanics , fluid dynamics , porosity , geotechnical engineering , materials science , computer science , geology , mathematics , physics , constitutive equation , thermodynamics , mathematical analysis , mathematical optimization , composite material , algorithm
Geomechanical problems are generally based on the category of granular, cohesive‐frictional materials with a fluid pore content. At the macroscopic scale of continuum mechanics, these materials can be successfully described on the basis of the well‐founded Theory of Porous Media (TPM) [1]. The present contribution touches fundamental problems of coupled media by investigating the interacting behaviour of an elasto‐viscoplastic porous solid skeleton, the soil, and two pore fluids, water and air. Furthermore, electro‐chemical reactions are considered in order to include the swelling behaviour of active soil. In conclusion, this leads to a system of strongly coupled partial differential equations (PDE) that can be solved by use of the finite element method (FEM). In particular, the presentation includes fluid‐flow situations in the fully or the partially saturated range, swelling phenomena of active clay [3] as well as localisation phenomena [2] as a result of fluid flow or heavy rainfall events. The computations are carried out by use of the single‐processor FE tool PANDAS [4] and, in case of large 3‐d problems, by coupling PANDAS with the multi‐processor solver M++. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)