Large displacement FEM modelling of the cone penetration test (CPT) in normally consolidated sand

• Published in: International journal for numerical and analytical methods in geomechanics Vol. 27; no. 7; pp. 585 - 602
• Main Authors: Susila, Endra, Hryciw, Roman D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.06.2003; Wiley
• Subjects: adaptive remeshing; Applied sciences; Buildings. Public works; Computation methods. Tables. Charts; cone penetration; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Engineering geology; Exact sciences and technology; FEM modelling; Geotechnics; sand; Soil investigations. Testing; Structural analysis. Stresses; Constitutive equation; Consolidated soil; Cone; Grid pattern; Sand; cone penetration; Frictional resistance; Contact interaction; Autoadaptative system; Penetration test; FEM modelling; Static method; Finite element method; Stress distribution; Soil test; Numerical simulation; adaptive remeshing
• ISSN: 0363-9061; 1096-9853
• DOI: 10.1002/nag.287

A new finite element model based on a large strain formulation has been developed to study cone penetration in normally consolidated sand. An auto‐adaptive remeshing technique was utilized for handling the very large distortion of sand surrounding the cone tip. A frictional contact interface utilizing Mohr–Coulomb's theory was chosen to represent interactions between the surface of the cone and sand. To model the sand behaviour, the non‐associated Drucker–Prager constitutive model was selected. ABAQUS, a commercial finite element software package, was used to implement the model. The explicit solution algorithm was chosen due to its effectiveness for complicated contact problems. Analysis results proved that the model successfully captured the cone penetration behavior in sand. In addition, a chart to predict internal friction angles based on cone tip resistance for different vertical effective stresses was provided. This paper also shows a typical distribution of sleeve resistance, tip resistance—penetration relationship, and typical contours of vertical, horizontal, and shear stresses in normally consolidated sand. Finally, a non‐uniform resistance was found along the length of the friction sleeve. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.