Two-phase model for the excavation analysis in partially saturated soft soils using the particle finite element method

A two-phase velocity-pressure stabilized formulation is proposed for the numerical analysis of mechanized excavations in partially saturated soft soils using the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM). The fully coupled formulation is based on the theory of porous media in association with the Soil Water Characteristic Curve and the porosity-dependent Kozeni-Carman model for the realistic estimation of the soil permeability. The combination of the PFEM methodology, characterized by a global re-meshing strategy equipped with a new adaptive mesh refinement scheme for the resolution of strain localization zones in the ground, with a hypoplastic constitutive model for the description of the non-linear behavior of the deformable soil skeleton, allows for the modeling of very large deformations, as required for excavation simulations. The PFEM model is validated based on selected geotechnical benchmark problems concerned with fully and partially saturated soil specimens. The model is further applied to computational re-analyses of excavation tests involving a single cutting tool moving in a sandbox. The reaction force-tool displacement curve for the excavation tool as well as the evolution of the deformed topology of the sand including the formation of shear zones obtained from the computational model are compared with respective experimental observations. Parametric investigations aimed at elucidating the influence of selected geotechnical parameters on the excavation process are also carried out. Finally, the suitability of the proposed PFEM-based numerical strategy for the modeling of 3D excavation problems is demonstrated by means of 3D PFEM simulations in fully saturated sand.

Automated summary

A two-phase velocity-pressure stabilized formulation is proposed for the numerical analysis of mechanized excavations in partially saturated soft soils using the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM). The PFEM methodology, combined with a hypoplastic constitutive model for deformable soil skeleton, enables the modeling of large deformations. The PFEM model is validated and applied to excavation tests and parametric investigations, demonstrating its suitability for 3D excavation problems.