Stress-Deformation Modeling
with SIGMA/W
An Engineering Methodology
July 2012 Edition
GEO-SLOPE International Ltd.
Copyright © 2004-2012 by GEO-SLOPE International, Ltd
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SIGMA/W
Table of Contents
1
2
3
Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................... 1
1.1
Applications ......................................................................................................................... 1
Deformation analysis .................................................................................................... 1
Staged construction ...................................................................................................... 2
Excess pore-water pressures ....................................................................................... 3
Soil-structure interactions ............................................................................................. 4
Consolidation analyses ................................................................................................. 5
Numerical Modeling: What, Why and How ......................................... 7
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 7
2.1
2.2
What is a numerical model? ................................................................................................ 7
Modeling in geotechnical engineering ................................................................................. 9
2.3
2.4
Why model? ...................................................................................................................... 11
Quantitative predictions .............................................................................................. 11
Compare alternatives ................................................................................................. 13
Identify governing parameters .................................................................................... 14
Discover physical process - train our thinking ............................................................ 15
How to model .................................................................................................................... 18
Make a guess ............................................................................................................. 18
Simplify geometry ....................................................................................................... 20
Start simple ................................................................................................................. 21
Do numerical experiments .......................................................................................... 22
Model only essential components .............................................................................. 23
Start with estimated material properties ..................................................................... 24
Interrogate the results ................................................................................................. 25
Evaluate results in the context of expected results .................................................... 25
Remember the real world ........................................................................................... 25
2.6
How not to model .............................................................................................................. 26
2.7
Closing remarks ................................................................................................................ 27
SIGMA/W: Fundamentals and Practical Modeling Considerations ... 29
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 29
3.1
Density and unit weight ..................................................................................................... 30
3.2
3.3
Compaction and density ................................................................................................... 31
Compaction and strength ........................................................................................... 32
2.5
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4
3.4
3.5
3.6
4.3
3.7
3.8
Plasticity ............................................................................................................................ 33
Volume change ................................................................................................................. 34
Effective and total stress ............................................................................................ 34
Compressibility and consolidation .............................................................................. 35
Zero change in pore-water pressure .......................................................................... 38
Strength parameters ......................................................................................................... 39
Mohr stress circle ....................................................................................................... 39
Mohr Coulomb failure criteria ..................................................................................... 40
Triaxial testing ............................................................................................................ 41
Soil stiffness – Young’s modulus ................................................................................ 42
Total stress, effective stress and pore-water pressures ................................................... 43
Incremental formulation .................................................................................................... 44
Body forces – unit weight ........................................................................................... 44
3.9
Serviceability versus stability ............................................................................................ 45
3.10 Modeling progression ........................................................................................................ 45
3.11 Units .................................................................................................................................. 46
Geometry and Meshing .................................................................... 47
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 47
4.1
Geometry Objects in GeoStudio ....................................................................................... 48
4.2
Soil regions, points and lines ...................................................................................... 49
Free points .................................................................................................................. 51
Free lines .................................................................................................................... 51
Interface elements on lines ......................................................................................... 52
Circular openings ........................................................................................................ 54
Mesh generation ............................................................................................................... 55
Structured mesh ......................................................................................................... 56
Unstructured quad and triangle mesh ........................................................................ 56
Unstructured triangular mesh ..................................................................................... 56
Triangular grid regions ................................................................................................ 57
Rectangular grid of quads .......................................................................................... 58
Surface layers ................................................................................................................... 58
Joining regions .................................................................................................................. 61
Meshing for transient analyses ......................................................................................... 62
Finite elements .................................................................................................................. 63
Element fundamentals ...................................................................................................... 64
Element nodes ............................................................................................................ 64
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
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Table of Contents
4.9
Field variable distribution ............................................................................................ 64
Element and mesh compatibility ................................................................................. 65
Numerical integration .................................................................................................. 67
Secondary variables ................................................................................................... 68
General guidelines for meshing ........................................................................................ 68
Number of elements ................................................................................................... 69
Effect of drawing scale ............................................................................................... 69
Mesh purpose ............................................................................................................. 70
Simplified geometry .................................................................................................... 71
Material Models and Properties ........................................................ 73
Constitutive models overview ........................................................................................... 73
5.1
5.2
Linear-elastic model .......................................................................................................... 75
Anisotropic elastic model .................................................................................................. 76
5.3
Elastic-plastic model ......................................................................................................... 78
5.4
Plastic matrix .............................................................................................................. 79
Yield criterion .............................................................................................................. 80
Negative pore-water pressure .................................................................................... 82
Cam-clay model ................................................................................................................ 83
Soil parameters .......................................................................................................... 84
Yield function .............................................................................................................. 85
Plastic matrix .............................................................................................................. 87
Evaluation of the plastic matrix ................................................................................... 89
Initial condition ............................................................................................................ 91
Soil parameters .......................................................................................................... 93
Modified Cam-clay model ................................................................................................. 94
Initial Conditions ......................................................................................................... 96
Commentary on Cam-Clay Models ................................................................................... 96
Slip surfaces ...................................................................................................................... 96
User Add-in constitutive models ....................................................................................... 96
E-modulus functions.......................................................................................................... 96
Sample functions ........................................................................................................ 98
5.11 Undrained strength functions ............................................................................................ 99
Boundary Conditions ...................................................................... 101
6.1
Multiple boundary condition types ................................................................................... 101
Force or displacement .................................................................................................... 101
6.2
6.3
Body loads ...................................................................................................................... 102
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.10
5.5
5.6
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7
8
6.4
6.5
6.6
Boundary condition locations .......................................................................................... 103
Nodal boundary conditions ............................................................................................. 104
Edge boundary conditions (pressures or stresses) ........................................................ 105
Converting edge conditions to nodal equivalent forces ............................................ 106
Fluid pressure conditions .......................................................................................... 107
Defining a stress boundary at internal element edges ............................................. 108
Region face boundary conditions ............................................................................. 108
6.7
Transient boundary conditions ........................................................................................ 110
Analysis Types ................................................................................ 113
Problem view ................................................................................................................... 113
7.1
Initial in-situ stresses ....................................................................................................... 113
7.2
Ko procedure ............................................................................................................. 114
Limitations ................................................................................................................ 115
Pore-water pressures ............................................................................................... 115
Unsaturated Soils ..................................................................................................... 116
Example .................................................................................................................... 117
Specifying initial conditions ............................................................................................. 119
Load / deformation analysis ............................................................................................ 119
Dynamic deformation analysis ........................................................................................ 119
Stress redistribution ........................................................................................................ 120
Concept and procedure ............................................................................................ 120
Strength reduction stability ....................................................................................... 121
Permanent deformations .......................................................................................... 122
Limiting equilibrium ................................................................................................... 122
Strain Softening ........................................................................................................ 122
7.7
Staged / multiple analyses .............................................................................................. 123
Coupled Stress-Pore Pressure Analysis ......................................... 125
8.1
Constitutive equation for soil structure ............................................................................ 125
Flow equation for water phase ........................................................................................ 127
8.2
Finite element formulation for coupled analysis .............................................................. 128
8.3
8.4
Computed material parameters ...................................................................................... 131
Pore-pressure response ratio ......................................................................................... 132
8.5
Coupled analysis data ..................................................................................................... 132
8.6
Material properties .................................................................................................... 132
Boundary conditions ................................................................................................. 133
Saturated-only coupled analysis ..................................................................................... 133
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
8.7
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Table of Contents
9
10.3
10.4
10.5
10.1
10.2
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
8.8
Uncoupled analysis ......................................................................................................... 133
8.9
Time stepping sequence ................................................................................................. 134
8.10 Changes in Conductivity ................................................................................................. 135
8.11
Submerged Deposition ................................................................................................... 136
8.12
Validation ........................................................................................................................ 136
8.13 Coupled analysis examples ............................................................................................ 137
Functions in GeoStudio .................................................................. 139
Spline functions ............................................................................................................... 139
9.1
Slopes of spline functions ......................................................................................... 140
Linear functions ............................................................................................................... 140
Step functions ................................................................................................................. 141
Closed form curve fits for water content functions .......................................................... 142
Add-in functions .............................................................................................................. 142
Spatial functions .............................................................................................................. 144
10 Structural Elements ........................................................................ 145
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 145
Beam elements ............................................................................................................... 145
Interpolating functions for a beam element .............................................................. 145
Stiffness matrix for a beam element ......................................................................... 146
Beam examples .............................................................................................................. 148
Bar elements ................................................................................................................... 149
Interpolating functions for a bar element .................................................................. 149
Stiffness matrix for a bar element ............................................................................. 149
Bar example .................................................................................................................... 151
11 Staged Construction Sequencing ................................................... 153
Basic concepts ................................................................................................................ 153
11.1
Fill placement example ................................................................................................... 153
11.2
Excavation ....................................................................................................................... 156
11.3
11.4
Braced excavations ......................................................................................................... 157
11.5 Closing remarks .............................................................................................................. 157
12 Numerical Issues ............................................................................ 159
12.1 Nonlinear analysis ........................................................................................................... 159
12.2 Convergence ................................................................................................................... 161
Significant figures ..................................................................................................... 162
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12.3
12.4
12.5
Minimum difference .................................................................................................. 162
Maximum number of iterations ................................................................................. 162
Viewing convergence data ....................................................................................... 163
Limiting loads – use incremental loading ........................................................................ 163
Tension zones ................................................................................................................. 164
Equation solvers (direct or parallel direct) ...................................................................... 164
13 Visualization of Results ................................................................... 165
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 165
13.1
Load steps ....................................................................................................................... 165
13.2
13.3
Types of data available in Contour ................................................................................. 165
13.4 Node and element information ........................................................................................ 168
13.5 Graphing Node and Gauss Data ..................................................................................... 169
Sum(Y) versus average(X) graphs ........................................................................... 171
13.6
“None” values .................................................................................................................. 171
13.7
Isolines ............................................................................................................................ 172
13.8 Mohr circles ..................................................................................................................... 172
13.9
Animation ........................................................................................................................ 173
13.10 Viewing displacements ................................................................................................... 173
13.11 Projecting Gauss point values to nodes ......................................................................... 174
13.12 Contouring data ............................................................................................................... 175
Illustrative Examples ....................................................................... 179
14
15
Theory ............................................................................................. 181
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 181
15.1
Finite element equations ................................................................................................. 181
15.2
Strain-displacement matrix ....................................................................................... 182
Elastic constitutive relationship ................................................................................ 184
Body forces ............................................................................................................... 184
Forces due to boundary stresses ............................................................................. 185
Nodal forces ............................................................................................................. 186
15.3 Numerical integration ...................................................................................................... 187
15.4
Assembly and solving of global equations ...................................................................... 189
Element stresses ............................................................................................................. 190
15.5
16 Appendix A: Interpolating Functions ............................................... 191
16.1 Coordinate systems ........................................................................................................ 191
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