Adaptive finite element analysis of cone penetration in clay

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical technique for the analysis of the cone penetration test by means of the commercial finite element code ABAQUS. The von Mises yield criterion with its associated flow rule is assumed to model the plastic behaviour of elastoplastic undrained clays. An explicit finite element scheme is used to efficiently perform a large number of loading increments and to simplify the treatment of contact. An Arbitrary Langrangian-Eulerian (ALE) scheme is adopted to preserve the quality of mesh throughout the numerical simulation. A volumetric weighting algorithm adjusts the relative positions of nodes after each loading increment. This prevents mesh over distortion and allows the simulation to run continuously. The variation of the cone resistance is examined in relation to various parameters such as the in situ stress state, shaft and cone face roughness, and the material strength when steady state conditions have been reached. The trends of these variations are highlighted and compared with those found by other researchers. This technique can be extended to analyse the plastic behaviour of elastoplastic sands often modelled using either the Drucker-Prager yield criterion or a critical state model.

Analysis of the cone penetration test in layered clay

“…69 cm). This is consistent with previous work investigating the numerical modelling of continuous penetration in homogenous undrained clay (see Walker & Yu (2006)). In the final step the adaptive mesh is active in both layers.…”

“…Both the dual-layer model and a homogenous model are used and the results are compared. Previous research by the authors (Walker & Yu, 2006) has assessed the ability of the homogenous model to simulate accurately the cone penetration test in various homogenous clays. Interested readers are referred to this paper to see a comparison of the results generated by the homogenous model with others that can be found in the literature.…”

“…It has been shown that the finite-element (FE) method coupled with an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) adaptive mesh is capable of simulating the complete cone penetration process from the soil surface to any depth (Susila & Hryciw, 2003;Walker & Yu, 2006). This allows for the determination of the correct stress field around the penetrometer for any material type under any K 0 condition.…”

“…Earlier work that has been published by the current authors (Walker & Yu, 2006) is used as a basis for this investigation. In this work, an FE analysis together with an adaptive mesh was used to investigate penetration resistance during the cone penetration test in uniform soil.…”

Application of a Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach on pile installation problems under partially drained conditions

“…However, it is essential to improve the robustness and accuracy of the numerical algorithms to simulate more realistic and complex features as for example piles under cyclic loading, piles with flat ends or piles in soils with excess pore pressure development [27]. Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) methods [11,13] can be used to improve the robustness of the numerical simulations of pile installation [30] and footing problems [31]. Mahutka et al [20] presented an ALE model to simulate the vibratory pile driving under cyclic loading using an explicit equation solver.…”