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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/10925| Title: | Solution of soil-structure interaction problems by coupled boundary element-finite element method |
| Authors: | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Charles E. Via Department of Civil Engineering. Kuppusamy, T. Zarco, Mark A. Ebeling, Robert M., 1954- |
| Keywords: | Boundary element methods Finite element method Soil-structure interaction Mathematical models Numerical models Soil mechanics |
| Publisher: | Information Technology Laboratory (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Technical report (U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station) ; ITL-92-3. |
| Description: | Technical Report Abstract: This report presents a substructure method for coupling the boundary element method (BEM) and the finite element method (FEM) in order to solve soil-structure interaction problems more accurately and efficiently so that the nonlinear effects can be included in the near field by FEM and the far field simulated by BEM. Linear boundary elements based on the Melan solution are coupled with bilinear isoparametric finite elements in a manner consistent with the variational formulation of the problem. The undesirable properties of the unsymmetry and fully populated nature of the stiffness matrix resulting from the boundary element method are minimized by renumbering the system of equations such that the degrees of freedom associated with the boundary element system are isolated and assembled by the substtucture method. The accuracy of the method is verified by solving typical elastic problems involving semi-infinite domains. A comparison of the results shows a significant increase in the accuracy of both the displacements and stresses predicted using the proposed method. It was noted that the displacements and stresses obtained by using the finite element method alone resulted in errors of more than 20 percent in certain cases. In particular, it was noted that the horizontal normal stresses and shear stresses were in error by 50 percent. Using the proposed method, the displacements and stresses were within 2 percent of the analytical solution. The proposed substructure method can easily be incorporated into an existing finite element program because it simply involves adding a new element to the existing element library and modifying the assembly procedure. |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/10925 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TR-ITL-92-3.pdf | 7.72 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |