Seminar - Majidreza Nazem - Application of Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) Finite Element Method in Geomechanics

Wednesday 29 July 2009, 1.10 pm - 1.55 pm
Civil Engineering Lecture Theatre 3

The School of Civil Engineering is pleased to welcome Majidreza Nazem, from the Centre for Geotechnical and Materials Modelling, School of Engineering, The University of Newcastle, Australia.

Abstract:
In many geotechnical problems, it is vital to consider the geometrical nonlinearity caused by large deformation in order to capture a more realistic behaviour. The solutions so obtained will then be more accurate and reliable which should ultimately lead to cheaper and safer design. For example, highway embankments built on soft clay deposits undergo settlements of up to 10 meters in magnitude without undergoing bearing capacity failure. Another example is the installation of displacements piles which are essential parts of offshore platforms. During installation, significant changes of geometry occur that can not be neglected.

The Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method will be presented for solving problems involving nonlinearities due to material behaviour, large deformation, changing boundry conditions and time-dependency. Important aspects of ALE implementation into a finite element framework will be discussed. This method is then employed to solve some interesting and challenging geotechnical problems involving large deformations such as bearing capacity of footings on soft soils, consolidation of soft clays, finite element modelling of cone penetration test and dynamic penetration of objects into a soil layer.