A coupled 3‐dimensional bonded discrete element and lattice Boltzmann method for fluid‐solid coupling in cohesive geomaterials

This paper presents a 3D bonded discrete element and lattice Boltzmann method for resolving the fluid‐solid interaction involving complicated fluid‐particle coupling in geomaterials. In the coupled technique, the solid material is treated as an assembly of bonded and/or granular particles. A bond model accounting for strain softening in normal contact is incorporated into the discrete element method to simulate the mechanical behaviour of geomaterials, whilst the fluid flow is solved by the lattice Boltzmann method based on kinetic theory and statistical mechanics. To provide a bridge between theory and application, a 3D algorithm of immersed moving boundary scheme was proposed for resolving fluid‐particle interaction. To demonstrate the applicability and accuracy of this coupled method, a benchmark called quicksand, in which particles become fluidised under the driving of upward fluid flow, is first carried out. The critical hydraulic gradient obtained from the numerical results matches the theoretical value. Then, numerical investigation of the performance of granular filters generated according to the well‐acknowledged design criteria is given. It is found that the proposed 3D technique is promising, and the instantaneous migration of the protected soils can be readily observed. Numerical results prove that the filters which comply with the design criteria can effectively alleviate or eliminate the appearance of particle erosion in dams.     

A quasistatic analysis of a plate on consolidating layered soils by analytical layer‐element/finite element method coupling

In this paper, a coupling method between finite element and analytical layer‐elements is utilized to analyze the time‐dependent behavior of a plate of any shape and finite rigidity resting on layered saturated soils. Based on the integral transform techniques together with the aid of an order reduction method, an analytical layer‐element solution is derived from the governing equations for three‐dimensional Biot consolidation with respect to a Cartesian coordinate system and then extended to be the fundamental solution for the layered saturated soil under a point load. The Mindlin plate is modeled by eight‐noded isoparametric elements. The governing equations of the interaction between soil and plate in the Laplace‐Fourier transformed domain are deduced by referring to the coupling theory of FEM/BEM, and the final solution is obtained by applying numerical inversion. Numerical examples concerned with the time‐dependent response of a plate are performed to demonstrate the influence of soil and plate properties on the interaction process. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Capturing the two‐way hydromechanical coupling effect on fluid‐driven fracture in a dual‐graph lattice beam model

Fluid‐driven fractures of brittle rock is simulated via a dual‐graph lattice model. The new discrete hydromechanical model incorporates a two‐way coupling mechanism between the discrete element model and the flow network. By adopting an operator‐split algorithm, the coupling model is able to replicate the transient poroelasticity coupling mechanism and the resultant Mandel‐Cryer hydromechanical coupling effect in a discrete mechanics framework. As crack propagation, coalescence and branching are all path‐dependent and irreversible processes, capturing this transient coupling effect is important for capturing the essence of the fluid‐driven fracture in simulations. Injection simulations indicate that the onset and propagation of fractures is highly sensitive to the ratio between the injection rate and the effective permeability. Furthermore, we show that in a permeable rock, the borehole breakdown pressure, the pressure at which fractures start to grow from the borehole, depends on both the given ratio between injection rate and permeability and the Biot coefficient.     

A FIC‐based stabilized mixed finite element method with equal order interpolation for solid–pore fluid interaction problems

A new mixed displacement‐pressure element for solving solid–pore fluid interaction problems is presented. In the resulting coupled system of equations, the balance of momentum equation remains unaltered, while the mass balance equation for the pore fluid is stabilized with the inclusion of higher‐order terms multiplied by arbitrary dimensions in space, following the finite calculus (FIC) procedure. The stabilized FIC‐FEM formulation can be applied to any kind of interpolation for the displacements and the pressure, but in this work, we have used linear elements of equal order interpolation for both set of unknowns. Examples in 2D and 3D are presented to illustrate the accuracy of the stabilized formulation for solid–pore fluid interaction problems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling of coupled fluid‐mechanical problems in fractured geological media using enriched finite elements

Geological environments, such as petroleum reservoirs, normally exhibit physical discontinuities, for example, fractures and faults. Because of the reduced thickness of these discontinuities, finite element formulations with strong discontinuity have been applied to the numerical modelling of geological environments. Until now, two relevant characteristics of petroleum reservoirs have not been addressed by these formulations. The first is the pore pressure jump in the direction normal to a discontinuity in a fluid‐mechanical coupling condition, which is present primarily in sealing faults owing to the contrast of permeability with the porous medium. The absence of this jump can affect the prediction of the deformability of a physical discontinuity. Furthermore, reservoir models frequently use coarse meshes. Thus, the method used to evaluate the pore pressure in the discontinuity may exhibit a strong dependence relative to the mesh refinement. Based on these characteristics, in this study, a formulation of an enriched finite element for application to coupled fluid‐mechanical problems with pre‐existing physical discontinuities saturated by a single fluid is presented. The formulation employs discontinuous interpolation functions and enables the reproduction of jumps of displacement and pore pressure associated with a discontinuity inside the element without the need to discretise it. An approximation to estimate the pore pressure in the discontinuity was developed, one which seeks to minimise the influence of refinement. The element's response is verified by comparison with a one‐dimensional analytical solution and simple examples that are simulated using commercial software. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical analysis of a one‐dimensional infiltration problem in unsaturated soil by a seepage–deformation coupled method

A multiphase coupled elasto‐viscoplastic finite element analysis formulation, based on the theory of porous media, is used to describe the rainfall infiltration process into a one‐dimensional soil column. Using this framework, we have numerically analyzed the generation of pore water pressure and deformations when rainfall is applied to the soil. A parametric study, including rainfall intensity, soil–water characteristic curves, and permeability, is carried out to observe their influence on the changes in pore water pressure and volumetric strain. From the numerical results, it is shown that the generation of pore water pressure and volumetric strain is mainly controlled by material parameters α and n′ that describe the soil–water characteristic curve. A comparison with the laboratory results shows that the proposed method can describe very well the characteristics observed during the experiments of one‐dimensional water infiltration into a layered unsaturated soil column. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A four‐node plane parametric element based on quadrilateral area coordinate and its application to coupled solid‐deformation/fluid‐flow simulation for porous geomaterials

A four‐node plane parametric element AQGβ6‐I is constructed on the basis of the quadrilateral area coordinate, the generalized conforming principle and the projection technique with a penalty factor β within an interval of 0–1. When β = 0, the element has excellent bending performance. When β = 1, the element can pass patch test strictly; its performance is as good as many famous elements. When β value is between 0 and 1, such as β = 0.5, the element can arrive at a compromise between (relatively) low sensitivity to mesh distortion and perfect convergence. The work provides an illuminating method to alleviate a difficult problem in finite element modelling using the four‐node quadrilateral element, which can pass the strict patch test, but has poor performance in bending dominated problem; on the contrary, it has excellent performance in bending dominated problem but cannot pass the strong patch test. The AQGβ6‐I with the convergence formulation (β = 1) is then applied to coupled solid‐deformation/fluid‐flow simulation for porous geomaterials. The computational examples are carried out to demonstrate that the AQGβ6‐I (β = 1) element is not only stable, reliable and efficient but also of high accuracy. The present study provides a good applicable element for finite element simulations of solid‐deformation/fluid‐flow for porous geomaterials. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

电场-渗流场-应力场耦合的电渗固结数值分析

在非饱和土多孔介质力学理论的基础上,根据电荷守恒原理、质量守恒原理、应力平衡方程、达西定律以及欧姆定律,推导了考虑电场、渗流场以及应力场相互耦合作用的电渗固结理论方程。采用Galerkin加权余量法对电渗固结理论方程进行空间离散,得到其有限元计算列式,编制了相应的计算程序,对室内电渗模型试验进行了数值模拟。结果表明,数值模拟与试验结果基本吻合,表明该电渗固结理论方程能够定量预测电渗固结过程中土体的孔隙水压力和位移发展规律。     

泥岩隧道施工过程中渗流场与应力场全耦合损伤模型研究

在连续损伤力学理论基础上,将塑性损伤演化及渗流相互耦合的概念引入Mohr-Coulomb 破坏准则,用于分析在孔隙压力和塑性损伤演化共同作用下岩石损伤演化机制,建立了相应的有限元损伤数值分析模型,并应用于比利时核废料库开挖过程中泥岩隧道附近围岩发生损伤演化、渗流场和应力场耦合过程分析中,得到了开挖引起的围岩损伤特性、孔隙压力以及渗透性的变化规律,为进一步研究隧道流变过程水力耦合特性合理的数值计算模型建立方法提供基础。     

基于扩展有限元法的岩体水力劈裂耦合模型

1. 浙江水利水电学院 水利与环境工程学院,浙江 杭州 310018;2. 上海交通大学 船舶海洋与建筑工程学院,上海 200240; 3. 浙江省钱塘江管理局勘测设计院,浙江 杭州 310016     

A semi‐analytical approach for modelling heat transfer during salt‐cavern leaching process

The use of gas‐storage caverns in salt formations is a growing industry that continues to gain momentum because it allows gas to be injected and withdrawn at high rates compared with other underground gas‐storage systems such as porous rock systems. In order to predict cavern production performances, cavern thermodynamics behaviour must be studied by higher accuracy approaches. This behaviour is extremely related to the temperature distribution in the surrounding formations. During the leaching process, the thermal equilibrium of the rock salt surrounding the cavern is extensively disrupted. The purpose of this paper is to study the heat transfer problem during the leaching process and to develop a thermal model that can be easily used in field applications. The results of this work will be the input data for the prediction of the gas temperature and pressure during cavern gas‐storage operation phase. Moreover, the developed model can find its use in the design of salt caverns since it can be coupled with geometrical modelling of salt dissolution codes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A three‐phase thermo‐hydro‐mechanical finite element model for freezing soils

Artificial ground freezing (AGF) is a commonly used technique in geotechnical engineering for ground improvement such as ground water control and temporary excavation support during tunnel construction in soft soils. The main potential problem connected with this technique is that it may produce heave and settlement at the ground surface, which may cause damage to the surface infrastructure. Additionally, the freezing process and the energy needed to obtain a stable frozen ground may be significantly influenced by seepage flow. Evidently, safe design and execution of AGF require a reliable prediction of the coupled thermo‐hydro‐mechanical behavior of freezing soils. With the theory of poromechanics, a three‐phase finite element soil model is proposed, considering solid particles, liquid water, and crystal ice as separate phases and mixture temperature, liquid pressure, and solid displacement as the primary field variables. In addition to the volume expansion of water transforming into ice, the contribution of the micro‐cryo‐suction mechanism to the frost heave phenomenon is described in the model using the theory of premelting dynamics. Through fundamental physical laws and corresponding state relations, the model captures various couplings among the phase transition, the liquid transport within the pore space, and the accompanying mechanical deformation. The verification and validation of the model are accomplished by means of selected analyses. An application example is related to AGF during tunnel excavation, investigating the influence of seepage flow on the freezing process and the time required to establish a closed supporting frozen arch. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An operator‐split ALE model for large deformation analysis of geomaterials

Analysis of large deformation of geomaterials subjected to time‐varying load poses a very difficult problem for the geotechnical profession. Conventional finite element schemes using the updated Lagrangian formulation may suffer from serious numerical difficulties when the deformation of geomaterials is significantly large such that the discretized elements are severely distorted. In this paper, an operator‐split arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) finite element model is proposed for large deformation analysis of a soil mass subjected to either static or dynamic loading, where the soil is modelled as a saturated porous material with solid–fluid coupling and strong material non‐linearity. Each time step of the operator‐split ALE algorithm consists of a Lagrangian step and an Eulerian step. In the Lagrangian step, the equilibrium equation and continuity equation of the saturated soil are solved by the updated Lagrangian method. In the Eulerian step, mesh smoothing is performed for the deformed body and the state variables obtained in the updated Lagrangian step are then transferred to the new mesh system. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed ALE method are verified by comparison of its results with the results produced by an analytical solution for one‐dimensional finite elastic consolidation of a soil column and with the results from the small strain finite element analysis and the updated Lagrangian analysis. Its performance is further illustrated by simulation of a complex problem involving the transient response of an embankment subjected to earthquake loading. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Load‐displacement and bearing capacity of foundations on granular soils using a multi‐surface kinematic constitutive soil model

A finite element approach based on an advanced multi‐surface kinematic constitutive model is used to evaluate the bearing capacity of footings resting on granular soils. Unlike simple elastic‐perfectly plastic models, often applied to granular foundation problems, the present model realistically accounts for stress dependency of the friction angle, strain softening–hardening and non‐associativity. After the model and its implementation into a finite element code are briefly discussed, the numerical difficulty due to the singularity at the footing edge is addressed. The bearing capacity factor N_γ is then calculated for different granular materials. The effect of footing size, shape, relative density and roughness on the ultimate bearing capacity are studied and the computed results compare very favourably with the general experimental trends. In addition, it is shown that the finite element solution can clearly represent counteracting mechanisms of progressive failure which have an important effect on the bearing capacity of granular foundations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A coupled two‐phase fluid flow and elastoplastic deformation model for unsaturated soils: theory,implementation, and application

Although numerous numerical models have been proposed for simulating the coupled hydromechanical behaviors in unsaturated soils, few studies satisfactorily reproduced the soil–water–air three‐phase coupling processes. Particularly, the impacts of deformation dependence of water retention curve, bonding stress, and gas flow on the coupled processes were less examined within a coupled soil–water–air model. Based on our newly developed constitutive models (Hu et al., 2013, 2014, 2015) in which the soil–water–air couplings have been appropriately captured, this study develops a computer code named F²Mus3D to investigate the coupled processes with a focus on the above impacts. In the numerical implementation, the generalized‐α time integration scheme was adopted to solve the equations, and a return‐mapping implicit stress integration scheme was used to update the state variables. The numerical model was verified by two well‐designed laboratory tests and was applied for modeling the coupled elastoplastic deformation and two‐phase fluid flow processes in a homogenous soil slope induced by rainfall infiltration. The simulation results demonstrated that the numerical model well reproduces the initiation of a sheared zone at the toe of the slope and its propagation toward the crest as the rain infiltration proceeds, which manifests a typical mechanism for rainfall‐induced shallow landslides. The simulated plastic strain and deformation would be remarkably underestimated when the bonding stress and/or the deformation‐dependent nature of hydraulic properties are ignored in the coupled model. But on the contrary, the negligence of gas flow in the slope soil results in an overestimation of the rainfall‐induced deformation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A rate‐dependent cohesive crack model based on anisotropic damage coupled to plasticity

In quasi‐brittle material the complex process of decohesion between particles in microcracks and localization of the displacement field into macrocracks is limited to a narrow fracture zone, and it is often modelled with cohesive crack models. Since the anisotropic nature of the decohesion process in separation and sliding is essential, it is particularly focused in this paper. Moreover, for cyclic and dynamic loading the unloading, load reversal (including crack closure) and rate dependency are essential features that are included in a new model. The modelling of degradation is based on a ‘localized’ version of anisotropic continuum damage coupled to inelasticity. The concept of strain energy equivalence between the states in the effective and nominal settings is adopted in order to define the free energy of the interface. The proposed fracture criterion is of the Mohr type, with a smooth transition of the failure and kinematics (slip and dilatation) characteristics between tension and shear. The chosen potential, of the Lemaitre‐type, for evolution of the dissipative processes is additively decomposed into plastic and damage parts, and non‐associative constitutive equations are obtained. The constitutive equations are integrated by applying the backward Euler rule and by using Newton iteration. The proposed model is assessed analytically and numerically and a typical calibration procedure for concrete is proposed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On finite volume method implementation of poro‐elasto‐plasticity soil model

Accurate prediction of the interactions between the nonlinear soil skeleton and the pore fluid under loading plays a vital role in many geotechnical applications. It is therefore important to develop a numerical method that can effectively capture this nonlinear soil‐pore fluid coupling effect. This paper presents the implementation of a new finite volume method code of poro‐elasto‐plasticity soil model. The model is formulated on the basis of Biot's consolidation theory and combined with a perfect plasticity Mohr‐Coulomb constitutive relation. The governing equation system is discretized in a segregated manner, namely, those conventional linear and uncoupled terms are treated implicitly, while those nonlinear and coupled terms are treated explicitly by using any available values from previous time or iteration step. The implicit–explicit discretization leads to a linearized and decoupled algebraic system, which is solved using the fixed‐point iteration method. Upon the convergence of the iterative method, fully nonlinear coupled solutions are obtained. Also explored in this paper is the special way of treating traction boundary in finite volume method compared with FEM. Finally, three numerical test cases are simulated to verify the implementation procedure. It is shown in the simulation results that the implemented solver is capable of and efficient at predicting reasonable soil responses with pore pressure coupling under different loading situations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于传递矩阵的两相介质波动问题时域显式有限元方法稳定性研究

饱和两相介质波动问题的时域显式有限元方法具有条件稳定性。这类方法的稳定性可通过方法中动力反应时域递推计算格式传递矩阵传递因子的数值进行评估,传递因子的数值越小,方法的稳定性越好。针对饱和两相介质波动问题的两种时域显式有限元方法,基于其动力反应时域递推计算格式的传递矩阵的性质,在两相介质体系物理参数取值不同的条件下,对两种方法稳定性性质的差异进行了对比研究。结果表明：渗透系数的取值对两种时域显式有限元方法稳定性性质的差异具有较为显著的影响。当渗透系数取值较大时,两种方法的稳定性性质没有明显的差异;当渗透系数的取值较小时,两种方法的稳定性性质将表现出明显的差异,方法1的稳定性要优于方法2。