Coupled solid‐fluid FE‐analysis of geotechnical problems involving partially saturated soils

Abstract

A numerical model for coupled solid-fluid FE-analyses of geotechnical problems involving partially saturated soils is described. As constitutive model for partially saturated soil serves the Barcelona Basic Model, which is formulated in terms of net stress and capillary pressure. Different stress update algorithms are compared for this model regarding the accuracy and efficiency. The application of the numerical model is demonstrated by numerical simulations of the impoundment of an earth dam and of the injection of compressed air into water saturated soil.