DEM-FEM Model of Highly Saturated Soil Motion Due to Seepage Force
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 5
Abstract
This paper examines a new approach to the problem of modeling transport phenomena that occur inside highly saturated discrete soil due to seepage force. The theory is based on a combination of the finite-element method (FEM), a solution of the poroelastic equations, and the distinct-element method (DEM) to produce a coupled numerical model. The FEM is used to calculate pore-water pressure fluctuations while the DEM is used to simulate the interactions between particles of submerged soil. This combination of different numerical schemes enables simulation of movements inside the granular material under the influence of pore-water pressure gradients. This theory and the equations used are presented and the parameters discussed. The functionality of the theory is tested in an application of the model to an embedded vertical seawall, and its accuracy is verified by a small-scale laboratory test.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers appreciate the irreplaceable advice on the DEM operation of Associate Professor Hitoshi Gotoh and Dr. Eiji Harada from Kyoto University. This study was partly supported by a grant in aid for scientific research (A) (project no. 14205072, Chief: Prof. Tetsuo Sakai), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Electric Technology Research Foundation of Chugoku.
References
Bierawski, L. G., Maeno, S., Gotoh, H., and Harada, E. (2002). “DEM-FEM model of the outflow of backfilling sand from behind a seawall under wave motion.” Proc., 5th Int. Conf. on Hydro-Science and Engineering (CD-ROM).
Cundall, P. A. (1971). “A computer model for simulating progresive, large-scale movements in blocky rock systems.” Proc., Symp. Int. Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM), Nancy, France 2(8).
Cundall, P. A., and Strack, O. D. (1979). “A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies.” Geotechnique, 29(1), 47–65.
El Shamy, U., and Zeghal, M. (2003). “A continuum-discrete model for granular soil liquefaction.” Proc., 16th Engineering Mechanics Conf., ASCE, Reston, Va.
Gotoh, H., and Sakai, T. (1997). “Numerical simulation of sheetflow as granural material.” J. Waterw., Port, Coastal, Ocean Eng., 123(6), 329–336.
Gotoh, H., Harada, E., and Sakai, T. (2000). “Movable-bed simulator for fractional transport of graded sediment.” Annual Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, JSCE, 44, 665–670 (in Japanese).
Itoh, K., Higuchi, Y., Toue, T., and Katsui, H. (2002). “Numerical simulation of deformation of rubble structures by DEM and VOF.” Proc., 12th Int. Offshore and Polar Engineering Conf., 714–721.
Maeno, S., and Nago, H. (1988). “Settlement of a concrete block into a sand bed under wave pressure variation.” Modelling soil-water-structure interactions, P. A. Kolkman et al., eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 67–76.
Maeno, S., and Tsubota, Y. (2001). “Flow out limit of backfilling sand behind revetment under cyclic loading of water pressure.” Proc., 29th Congress, IAHR, Beijing, China, 43–48.
Maeno, S., Bierawski, L. G., and Fujita, S. (2002). “A study on dynamic behavior of the seabed around a seawall under wave motion using the VOF-FEM model.” Proc., 12th Int. Offshore and Polar Engineering Conf., 579–603.
Masuya, H., and Kajikawa, Y. (1991). “Numerical analysis of the collision between a falling rock and a cushion by distinct element method.” Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, Beer, Booker, and Carter, eds, Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 493–498.
Masuya, H., Kajikawa, Y., and Nakata, Y. (1994). “Application of the distinct element method to the analysis of the concrete members under impact.” Nucl. Eng. Des., 150, 367–377.
Mase, H., Sakai, T., and Sakamoto, M. (1994). “Wave-induced pore water pressures and effective stresses around breakwater.” Ocean Eng., 21(4), 361–379.
Nakata, Y., Masuya, H., Kajikawa, Y., and Okada, T. (1997). “The analysis of impact behaviour of rock-shed by combination of distinct element method and finite element method.” 2nd Asia-Pacific Conf. on Shock and Impact Loads on Structures, 403–410.
Oumeraci, H. (1994). “Review and analysis of vertical breakwater failures—Lessons learned.” Coastal Engineering Journal, 22, 3–29.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 5 • September 2006
Pages: 401 - 409
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 23, 2003
Accepted: Aug 10, 2005
Published online: Sep 1, 2006
Published in print: Sep 2006
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.