Flow of non-Newtonian fluids in fractured porous media: Isogeometric vs standard finite element discretisation

A formulation has been derived for the flow of non-Newtonian (power-law) fluids in deformable, fractured porous media. The formulation is enhanced with a subgrid scale model to accurately represent the flow of the power-law fluids inside the cracks. The resulting equations have been discretised using standard (Lagrangian) finite element shape functions and with non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS), which have been cast into a standard finite element datastructure using Bézier extraction. The effect of the power-law index on the velocity inside the fracture and on the total fluid flow through the porous medium has been analysed for a typical boundary-value problem. It is shown that large differences between non-Newtonian and linearised Newtonian fluids can occur for the fluid velocity inside the fracture. This can significantly influence the total fluid transport through the domain. A mesh sensitivity study has been carried out as well and shows that markedly smaller element sizes are required in order to obtain accurate results for the local flow inside the fracture, compared with the element sizes necessary for obtaining accurate results inside the porous medium away from the fracture. Moreover, a comparison has been made between the results obtained using standard Lagrange polynomials and those obtained using NURBS. It is shown that while both discretisation methods are able to accurately simulate the deformations and pressures in the porous medium, the higher interelement continuity of NURBS is mandatory for obtaining correct values of the fluid velocities inside the fracture, especially near the tips.     

Numerical analysis of frost effects in porous media. Benefits and limits of the finite element poroelasticity formulation

The aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of a finite element formulation usable for predicting the mechanical consequences of frost effects on porous media. It considers the characteristics of porous media and how the frost action can be assessed. The problem is then separated into two parts: thermal and poromechanical calculations. The constitutive equations developed in the framework of poromechanics are presented and the implementation in a usual finite element poroelasticity formulation based on Zuber's method is adopted. An analysis of the time‐step influence on the convergence rate is given and leads us to propose a simple method in order to obtain objectivity of the finite element response and avoid over‐long calculations. Frost effect simulations are carried out on real porous media (two fired clays) as a case study. Although the experimental behaviour of the porous media subjected to frost action is in accordance with some observations, the calculated strains appear to be overestimated compared with measurements. The problem could be largely attributable to the difficulty of assessing permeability evolution during frost development. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Iteratively coupled solution strategies for a four‐field mixed finite element method for poroelasticity

In this paper, we consider numerical algorithms for modeling of the time‐dependent coupling between the fluid flow and deformation in elastic porous media. Here, we employ a four‐field formulation which uses the total stress, displacement, flux, and pressure as its primary variables and satisfies Darcy's law and linear elasticity in mixed weak form. We present four different iteratively coupled methods, known as drained, undrained, fixed‐strain, and fixed‐stress splits, in which the diffusion operator is separated from the elasticity operator and the two subproblems are solved in a staggered way while ensuring convergence of the solution at each time step. A‐priori convergence results for each iterative coupling which differs from those found when using a traditional two‐field or three‐field formulation are presented. We also present some numerical results to support the convergence estimates and to show the accuracy and efficiency of the algorithms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive isogeometric finite element analysis of steady‐state groundwater flow

Numerical challenges occur in the simulation of groundwater flow problems because of complex boundary conditions, varying material properties, presence of sources or sinks in the flow domain, or a combination of these. In this paper, we apply adaptive isogeometric finite element analysis using locally refined (LR) B‐splines to address these types of problems. The fundamentals behind isogeometric analysis and LR B‐splines are briefly presented. Galerkin's method is applied to the standard weak formulation of the governing equation to derive the linear system of equations. A posteriori error estimates are calculated to identify which B‐splines should be locally refined. The error estimates are calculated based on recovery of the L₂‐projected solution. The adaptive analysis method is first illustrated by performing simulation of benchmark problems with analytical solutions. Numerical applications to two‐dimensional groundwater flow problems are then presented. The problems studied are flow around an impervious corner, flow around a cutoff wall, and flow in a heterogeneous medium. The convergence rates obtained with adaptive analysis using local refinement were, in general, observed to be of optimal order in contrast to simulations with uniform refinement. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isogeometric analysis for unsaturated flow problems

Unsaturated flow problems in porous media often described by Richards’ equation are of great importance in many engineering applications. In this contribution, we propose a new numerical flow approach based on isogeometric analysis (IGA) for modeling the unsaturated flow problems. The non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) basis is utilized for spatial discretization whereas the stable implicit backward Euler method for time discretization. The nonlinear Richards’ equation is iteratively solved with the aid of the Newton–Raphson scheme. Owing to some desirable features of an efficient numerical flow approach, major advantages of the present formulation involve: (a) numerical oscillation at the wetting front can be avoided or facilitated, simply by using either an h-refinement or a lumped mass matrix technique; (b) higher-order exactness can be obtained due to the nature of the IGA features; (c) the approach is straightforward to implement and it does not need any transformation, e.g., Kirchhoff transformation or filter algorithm; and (d) in contrast to the Picard iteration scheme, which forms linear convergences, the proposed approach can however yield quadratic convergences by using the Newton–Raphson method for solving resultant nonlinear equations. Numerical model validation is analyzed by solving a three-dimensional unsaturated flow problem in soil, and its derived results are verified against analytical solutions. Numerical applications are then studied by considering three extensive examples with simple and complex configurations to further show the accuracy and applicability of the present IGA.     

Three-dimensional finite element modelling for consolidation due to groundwater withdrawal in a desaturating anisotropic aquifer system

A poroelastic numerical model is presented to evaluate three-dimensional consolidation due to groundwater withdrawal from desaturating anisotropic porous media. This numerical model is developed based on the fully coupled governing equations for groundwater flow in deforming variably saturated porous media and the Galerkin finite element method. Two different cases of unsaturated aquifers are simulated for the purpose of comparison: a cross-anisotropic soil aquifer, and a corresponding isotropic soil aquifer composed of a geometrically averaged equivalent material. The numerical simulation results show that the anisotropy has a significant effect on the shapes of three-dimensional hydraulic head distribution and displacement vector fields. Such an effect of anisotropy is caused by the uneven partitioning of the hydraulic pumping stress between the vertical and horizontal directions in both groundwater flow field and solid skeleton deformation field. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitivity analysis for parameter identification in quasi‐static poroelasticity

This paper is devoted to the formulation of the direct differentiation method and adjoint state method in quasi‐static linear poroelasticity. We derive the strong and weak formulation of both methods and discuss their solutions using the finite element method. The techniques are illustrated and tested on two numerical examples for the case of isotropic and homogeneous material. The presented formulations can be extended to more complex behaviour in poromechanics. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A linear constitutive model for unsaturated poroelasticity by micromechanical analysis

This paper extends the Biot theory of poroelasticity from the saturated to unsaturated case. The Biot phenomenological model uses parameters that are easily observable, such as the deformation of porous frame, total stress, pore pressure, and fluid specific discharge. Such model is preferred for engineering applications. At this macroscopic level, the extension of Biot theory from saturated to unsaturated is straightforward. The constitutive constants, however, are combined properties of solid, pore space, and fluids. In the unsaturated case, the constants are functions of the degree of saturation. Their measurements and tabulation over a range of saturation is generally not feasible for practical applications. In this work, a Biot-Willis type analysis is performed for the unsaturated case to provide a theory that the bulk material constants can be evaluated using laboratory measurable micromechanical constants under saturated condition, plus a capillary pressure curve (saturation versus suction pressure) typically available for unsaturated porous medium, without the need of measurement at each state of saturation. In particular, it is demonstrated that the surface energy contained in the meniscus interface manifests as a “capillary modulus,” given by the negative inverse slope of the capillary pressure curve. A rigorous analysis based on the thermodynamic variational energy approach is also conducted to lend theoretical support to the phenomenological approach. The presented model can bring a closure to the practical engineering modeling of the deformation of partially saturated porous medium that lacks the information of material constants over the range of saturation.     

波浪作用下某防沙堤的动力固结有限元分析

基于饱和土动力固结理论,采用SWANDYNE II有限元分析,程序预测一个梯形沉箱防沙堤在某设计波浪作用下的响应。采用Pastor-Zienkiwicz Mark III广义塑性模型模拟了海床土的循环应力-应变行为。通过动三轴试验,确定了主要的模型参数,分析中只考虑了波浪对结构的作用,忽略行波对海床表面的作用。动力固结有限元分析的结果定性上与常规的拟静力极限平衡分析方法一致,有限元分析定量给出了体系的位移、应力、孔隙水压力分布和结构位移随波浪持续时间的累积过程,其研究结果初步展现了动力固结有限元方法在近海和海岸岩土工程领域的广阔应用前景。     

竖井地基的粘弹—粘塑性固结及有限元解

用1个带双屈服面的粘弹-粘塑性模型来描述软土的流变性状，并结合Biot固结理论对软土地基的固结沉降进行有限元分析。对竖井预固结地基进行计算，以预压所产生的沉降量及所引起的附加有效应力分别大于设计载荷所引起的最终沉降量和附加应力为终止预压的依据，计算取得了合理结果。     

Use of coupled finite element analysis in unsaturated soil problems

This paper presents a variation of Biot's consolidation theory for analysing problems involving unsaturated soils, and implemented using the finite element method. The numerical method is applied to a few geotechnical problems as examples and the results obtained are compared to some published data. The illustrative examples show how the numerical method can be used to analyse seepage and consolidation problems associated with unsaturated soils and demonstrate the flexibility and applicability of the presented method. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The history of the mangrove vegetation in Bénin during the Holocene: A palynological study

Pollen analysis of three core samples,YEV-I, GOHO.00 and DO.00, taken in the coastal area of Bénin shows the existence of mangrove during the Holocene. This mangrove underwent many physiognomic changes from the middle to the late Holocene. In the course of the middle Holocene (from 7500 to 2500 years before present (BP)), it stretched over a large area from the littoral inland. It was tightly closed and almost monospecific, dominated by Rhizophora. During the late Holocene, this mangrove started to regress around 3000 years BP and disappeared about 2500 years BP from the studied sites. It has been replaced by swamp meadows dominated by Paspalum vaginatum Sw. and a fresh water environment colonised by taxa such as Persicaria, Typha, Ludwigia, and Nymphaea.     

考虑K0固结的软土基坑工程三维非线性有限元分析

为考虑基坑工程的空间效应,土体分别采用K0固结和正常固结试样固结不排水(CU)试验得到的Duncan-Chang非线性弹性模型和Mohr-Coulomb理想弹塑性模型,运用ABAQUS软件按照三维实体单元、壳单元、梁单元考虑接触相互作用的耦合有限元法,建立了福州市一典型软土基坑工程整体三维有限元分析模型,对基坑施工的各工况下整个体系的响应进行了数值模拟"目标试验",并与实测结果和二维数值模拟结果进行了比较,结果表明,采用K0固结试样CU试验参数的Duncan-Chang模型对该基坑进行的三维非线性数值模拟分析方法是较为可靠的,较之Mohr-Coulomb理想弹塑性模型和二维有限元分析,其结果的优势是明显的,是值得推崇和具有较好应用价值的方法。     

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of spatially variable PVD improved ground

A stochastic approach that investigates the effects of soil spatial variability on stabilisation of soft clay via prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) is presented and discussed. The approach integrates the local average subdivision of random field theory with the Monte Carlo finite element (FE) technique. A special feature of the current study is the investigation of impact of spatial variability of soil permeability and volume compressibility in the smear zone as compared to that of the undisturbed zone, in conjunction with uncoupled three-dimensional FE analysis. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to identify the random variable that has the major contribution to the uncertainty of the degree of consolidation achieved via PVDs. The results of this study indicate that the spatial variability of soil properties has a significant impact on soil consolidation by PVDs; however, the spatial variability of soil properties in the smear zone has a dominating impact on soil consolidation by PVDs over that of the undisturbed zone. It is also found that soil volume compressibility has insignificant contribution to the degree of consolidation estimated by uncoupled stochastic analysis.     

Biot固结有限元方程组的病态规律分析

针对Biot固结有限元方程组的病态问题，采用正交试验和量纲分析法探讨病态性的变化规律及其影响因素。主要考虑单元平均尺寸、时间步长、压缩性和渗透性等4个因素的影响。分别提出2组相互独立的相似准则，在此基础上得到2个新的无量纲量，并将其用于分析Biot固结有限元方程组系数矩阵的条件数的变化规律。结合算例进行参数分析结果表明，对病态程度的敏感性由大到小依次为单元平均尺寸、时间步长、压缩性和渗透性；单元平均尺寸太小会使病态加剧；随着2个无量纲量的增大，病态程度呈现单调增加的趋势。其结果为深化对Biot固结数值分析病态问题的认识提供有益参考。     

极限分析有限元法讲座—— Ⅰ岩土工程极限分析有限元法

经典岩土工程极限分析方法一般采用解析方法，有些还要对滑动面作假设，且不适用于非均质材料，尤其是强度不均的岩石工程，从而使极限分析法的应用受到限制。随着计算技术的发展，极限分析有限元法应运而生，它能通过强度降低或者荷载增加直接算得岩土工程的安全系数和滑动面，十分贴近工程设计。为此，探讨了极限分析有限元法及其在边坡、地基、隧道稳定性计算中的应用，算例表明了此法的可行性，拓宽了该方法的应用范围。随着计算机技术与计算力学的发展，岩土工程极限分析有限元法正在成为一门新的学问，而且有着良好的发展前景。     

Numerical performance of projection methods in finite element consolidation models

Projection, or conjugate gradient like, methods are becoming increasingly popular for the efficient solution of large sparse sets of unsymmetric indefinite equations arising from the numerical integration of (initial) boundary value problems. One such problem is soil consolidation coupling a flow and a structural model, typically solved by finite elements (FE) in space and a marching scheme in time (e.g. the Crank–Nicolson scheme). The attraction of a projection method stems from a number of factors, including the ease of implementation, the requirement of limited core memory and the low computational cost if a cheap and effective matrix preconditioner is available. In the present paper, biconjugate gradient stabilized (Bi‐ CGSTAB) is used to solve FE consolidation equations in 2‐D and 3‐D settings with variable time integration steps. Three different nodal orderings are selected along with the preconditioner ILUT based on incomplete triangular factorization and variable fill‐in. The overall cost of the solver is made up of the preconditioning cost plus the cost to converge which is in turn related to the number of iterations and the elementary operations required by each iteration. The results show that nodal ordering affects the perfor mance of Bi‐CGSTAB. For normally conditioned consolidation problems Bi‐CGSTAB with the best ILUT preconditioner may converge in a number of iterations up to two order of magnitude smaller than the size of the FE model and proves an accurate, cost‐effective and robust alternative to direct methods. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

岩质滑坡稳定性有限元分析

目前国内外大多数规范中推荐或者强制性规定滑坡稳定性分析采用极限平衡法。由于极限平衡法本身的局限性,存在诸多不合理之处,如何对其进行改进使之更加合理已成为岩土工程中的重要课题之一。针对岩质滑坡存在明显的软弱滑动带的特点,提出了有限元计算过程中不同滑动带的处理方法,结合工程中常用的不平衡推力传递法,给出了滑坡稳定性的有限元分析方法,将其应用于芡草沱滑坡,并与基于刚体极限平衡原理的不平衡推力传递法的计算结果进行了比较,表明其计算方法可靠,可直接应用于实际工程。     

边坡稳定的有限元塑性极限分析

系统地介绍了结构塑性极限分析的原理和方法。借助有限单元法和线性规划,运用塑性极限分析的下限法,可求解岩土边坡的极限承载力和安全系数。算例表明了该方法的正确性并具有较高的精度,同时,分析了该方法的困难所在。     

A coupling of mixed and continuous Galerkin finite element methods for poroelasticity II: the discrete-in-time case

In this paper, we formulate a finite element procedure for approximating the coupled fluid and mechanics in Biot’s consolidation model of poroelasticity. Here, we approximate the pressure by a mixed finite element method and the displacements by a Galerkin method. Theoretical convergence error estimates are derived in a discrete-in-time setting. Of particular interest is the case when the lowest-order Raviart–Thomas approximating space or cell-centered finite differences are used in the mixed formulation and continuous piecewise linear approximations are used for displacements. This approach appears to be the one most frequently applied to existing reservoir engineering simulators.