Geometric and Material Nonlinear Analysis of Three-Dimensional Soil-Structure Interaction

Abstract

A finite element procedure is developed for stress-deformation analysis of three-dimensional solid bodies including geometric and material nonlinearities. The formulation also includes the soil-structure interaction effect by using an interface element. A scheme is formulated to allow consistent definitions of stress, stress and strain rates, and constitutive laws. The analysis adopts the original Newton-Raphson technique coupled with incremental approach. Different elasto-plastic laws based on Von-Mises, Drucker-Prager, critical state, and cap criteria are incorporated in the formulation and computer code, and they can be used depending on the geological material involved. A special cap model is also incorporated to predict the behavior of the artificial soil used in current research. Examples are given to verify the formulation and the finite element code. Examples of the problems of soil-moving tool are also shown to compare to the experimental solutions observed in a prototype soilbin test facility.