Hybrid Type Rigid Plastic Finite Element Analysis for Bearing Capacity Characteristics of Surface Uniform Loading

• Published in: SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 17 - 27
• Main Author: Kobayashi, Shun-ichi
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Elsevier B.V 2005; The Japanese Geotechnical Society; Japanese Geotechnical Society
• Subjects: Applied sciences; bearing capacity; Buildings. Public works; Computation methods. Tables. Charts; Exact sciences and technology; Geotechnics; inclined loading; interior point method; limit analysis; rigid-plastic finite element method (IGC: E3/E13); Soil mechanics. Rocks mechanics; Structural analysis. Stresses; interior point method; rigid-plastic finite element method (IGC: E3/E13); inclined loading; limit analysis; bearing capacity; Plastic analysis; Finite element method; International conference; Interior point method; Numerical simulation; Limit analysis; Loadbearing capacity; Soil mechanics
• ISSN: 0038-0806; 1341-7452
• DOI: 10.3208/sandf.45.2_17

In the geotechnical engineering design, rigid plastic analysis is usually used to estimate a factor of safety or an ultimate capacity. Although based on a simple assumption of rigid-plastic material behaviour, limit analysis has a rigorous theoretical background called limit theorems. The implementation of limit analysis to finite element method is recognised as rigid-plastic finite element method. The author recently proposed a new formulation of hybrid type rigid-plastic finite element method based on the interior point method, named primal-dual rigid-plastic finite element method (PDRPFEM). In this paper, characteristics of primal-dual rigid-plastic finite element method are illustrated in contrast to the ordinary rigid-plastic finite element method based on the upper bound theorem. Advantages of the primal-dual rigid-plastic finite element method in the numerical calculations are also explained. In addition to this, as a real rigid-plastic boundary value problem, bearing capacity problems of surface uniform loading on weightless Tresca material (c, φ = 0) are solved by the primal-dual rigid-plastic finite element method. Numerical solutions are compared to the analytical solutions to investigate numerical accuracies of the primal-dual rigid-plastic finite element method.