A new incompatible mode element with selective mass scaling for saturated soil dynamics

It is a well-known fact that addressing hydromechanical problems in saturated soils with the finite element method and equal-order interpolation formulations in displacements and pore pressures produces unstable results. Classically, stabilization has been achieved by increasing the interpolation degree of displacement with respect to pore pressure, hence fulfilling the Babuska–Brezzi condition. However, the use of quadratic elements involves high computational costs. From that point of view, the use of stabilized low-order elements is a more desirable option. Much research has been carried out in different directions in the stabilization of low-order formulations for saturated soils in quasistatic conditions, among others with the technique based on strain field enhancement through internal degrees of freedom. This article presents an alternative displacement–pore pressure formulation for saturated soil dynamics based on the enhancement of the displacement field through incompatible modes.