Advanced numerical applications and plasticity in geomechanics. CISM course, Udine, Italy, June 2000 (Q5960937)

This volume contains 8 papers presented as part of an advanced course offered at CISM, Udine, Italy in June 2000. The papers present some new developments in numerical analysis in plasticity, and some applications in the field of geomechanics. The first paper ``Internal length-scales in damaged solids: a Lagrange multiplier approach'', by \textit{E. Benvenuti} and \textit{B. Loret}, considers computational aspects of elastic damaged solids. Gradient and integral models are embodied in a unified framework. Non-local operators are defined to introduce an internal length into constitutive equations. Using the Lagrange multiplier method and Uzawa algorithm, the authors solve the resulting equations numerically by finite element method. The next two papers, ``Laboratory investigation and numerical modelling of soil improvement techniques'' by \textit{A. Cividini}, and ``Application of elasto-plastic analysis to tunnelling'' by \textit{A. Cividini}, G. Gioda and \textit{D. Sterpi}, describe experimental and numerical modeling of several soils, e.g. elasto-plastic models in tunnel design. The extended article of \textit{J. M. Dluzewski} ``Nonlinear problems during consolidation process'' analyzes the important problem of nonlinear consolidation. A two-phase medium with geometric and material nonlinearities is considered in the frame of a fully coupled model. The updated Lagrangian description is applied to geometrically nonlinear effects during the consolidation process. The interaction between structure and soil foundation is described by a contact problem between structure and two-phase medium, and variational methods are used to derive the governing equations for interface elements. Finally, FEM equations for consolidation problems under large strains are formulated and solved in some particular cases. The next work ``Stability analysis of highly variable soils by elasto-plastic finite elements'', due to \textit{D. V. Griffiths}, analyzes the bearing capacity and slope stability of highly variable soils by using elasto-plastic finite elements. The types of heterogeneity considered include layering due to stratification, water table effects, voids due to excavation, and variability based on a statistical description of material properties. The next two papers ``Electro-chemo-mechanical couplings in soils'' by \textit{B. Loret, A. Gajo} and \textit{T. Hueckel}, and ``Thermo-mechanical potentials for unsaturated soils'' by \textit{B. Loret} and \textit{N. Khalili}, deal with complex coupled problems arising in soil mechanics. They could have applications to swelling soils and to environmental geotechnics. Finally, \textit{P. W. Woodward} presents in his paper ``Advanced numerical modelling of granular soils'' a review of different numerical models for geomaterials and their numerical implementation.