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Sadek Et Al 2004
Sadek Et Al 2004
net/publication/229701006
Article in International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics · August 2004
DOI: 10.1002/nag.357
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Isam Shahrour
Polytech Lille
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SUMMARY
This paper presents the formulation and verification of a 3D embedded beam element, which is intended
for numerical modelling of three dimensional problems concerned by reinforced geomaterials. This element
permits analysis of reinforced geomaterial structures with simplified meshes, that do not need to account
for reinforcement orientation. The paper is composed of four sections. Section 1 discusses the need for the
development of a particular beam element for soil reinforcement, which can be easily used in practical
applications. Section 2 describes the mathematical formulation of this element, while Section 3 deals with
its verification on various examples. Section 4 illustrates an application of this element by analysing the
behaviour of a group of micropiles containing inclined elements and subjected to lateral loading. Copyright
# 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
KEY WORDS: embedded beam; finite element; group; inclination; interface; lateral; micropile; reinforce-
ment
1. INTRODUCTION
n
Correspondence to: I. Shahrour, Laboratoire de M!ecanique de Lille (CNRS URA 1441), Universit!e des Sciences et
Technologies de Lille, Polytech-Lille, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France.
y
E-mail: isam.shahrour@eudil.fr
In order to overcome this difficulty, Diana finite element program offers a special element,
called ‘embedded reinforcement’ whose lines can deviate from the nodes of solid elements [1].
This truss element provides flexible features for the analysis of reinforced geomaterials
structures reinforced by flexible inclusions such as Reinforced Earth system [2] or geotextile-
reinforced earthworks [3]. Analysis of reinforced geomaterials structures with stiff reinforcement
such as micropiles network [4] requires the formulation of an ‘embedded beam element’ that can
withstand bending efforts and can be easily incorporated in existing meshes. This paper presents
the mathematical formulation of this element and its implementation in a finite element
program. It includes also a verification section by comparing this element to the classical beam
element. Further illustration of the performance of this element is highlighted by analysing the
response of a group of inclined micropiles subjected to lateral loading.
2. MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION
2.1. Preliminaries
Figure 2 illustrates a beam element embedded in a three-dimensional solid element. The beam
element has two nodes and six degrees of freedom at each node representing three displacements
u ¼ ðuX ; uY ; uZ Þ and three rotations y ¼ ðyX ; yY ; yZ Þ: The stiffness matrix of the beam element in
the local coordinate ðx; y; zÞ is
!
b
RlðiiÞ RlðijÞ
Rlocal ¼ ð1Þ
RlðjiÞ RlðjjÞ ð1212Þ
Indices b and local refer to beam and local co-ordinate, respectively.
The determination of the stiffness matrix for the beam element in the global co-ordinate ðRbg Þ
is carried out using the transformation matrix ðP Þ; which links the displacement vectors in the
global ðU Þ and local ðuÞ co-ordinates according the following relation:
u ¼ PU ð2Þ
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
THREE DIMENSIONAL EMBEDDED BEAM ELEMENT 933
Appropriate calculations of the stiffness matrix for the beam in the global co-ordinate lead to
the following expressions:
0t 1
P g :RlðiiÞ :P g t P g :RlðijÞ :P g
Rbg ¼ @ A ð3Þ
t g
P :RlðijÞ :P g t P g :RlðjjÞ :P g ð1212Þ
!
g
P 0
P ¼ ð4Þ
0 P
Uib ¼ N s ðXi ÞU s
ð5Þ
Ujb ¼ N s ðXj ÞU s
The index s refers to the solid element; where N s stands for the interpolation matrix in the solid
element; Xi and Xj denote the co-ordinates of the beam nodes.
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
934 M. SADEK AND I. SHAHROUR
The set in Equation (5) permits derivation of the expression of the beam nodal displacement
ðU b Þ in terms of the nodal displacement of the solid ðU s Þ:
0 b1
Ui 0 s1
B C U
B Yi C B C
B C
Ub ¼ B C ¼ N bs B@ Yi A
C ð6Þ
B Ujb C
@ A
Yj
Yj
The transformation matrix ðN bs Þ is given by
0 s 1
N ðXi Þ 0 0
B C
B 0 I 0C
B C
N bs ¼ B C ð7Þ
B N ðXj Þ 0
s
0C
@ A
0 0 I
where I designates the identity matrix:
0 1
1 0 0
B C
I ¼B
@0 1 0C
A ð8Þ
0 0 1
The energy of the beam element ðEb ) can be expressed using the nodal displacement vector
ðU b Þ and the stiffness matrix of the beam ðRbg Þ:
Eb ¼ 12 t U b Rbg U b ð9Þ
The use of Equations (6) and (9) leads to the following expression:
0 s1
U
1 s t bs b bs B C
Eb ¼ U Yi Yj N Rg N B C
@ Yi A ð10Þ
2
Yj
Note that Equation (10) can be used for the calculation of the stiffness matrix of the beam
element with respect to the nodal displacement of the solid element:
Rbs t bs b bs
g ¼ N Rg N ð11Þ
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
THREE DIMENSIONAL EMBEDDED BEAM ELEMENT 935
The upper indices b and s are related to the beam and solid elements, respectively. The relative
displacement is linked to the bonding force vector ðF int Þ between the solid and the beam as
follows:
F int ¼ C int Duint ð13Þ
0 1
Kt 0 0
B C
C int ¼ B
@0 Kn 0C
A ð14Þ
0 0 Kn
Kt and Kn denote the stiffness of the interface in the tangential and normal directions. The
behaviour at the interface is assumed to follow the Mohr–Coulomb criterion.
The contribution of the interface element to the overall stiffness matrix is given by the
interface stiffness matrix ðRin int
local Þ which links the bonding nodal forces ðF Þ to the nodal
int
displacement vector ðu Þ:
0 1
ubi
B C
B ub C
B jC
F int ¼ Rint B C ð15Þ
local B C
B usi C
@ A
usj
The global displacement ðU int Þ is linked to the local relative displacement vector ðuint Þ through
the following expression:
0 1 0 1
ubi Uib
B C B C
B ub C B Ub C
B jC B j C
B C ¼ P int B C ð16Þ
B sC B sC
B ui C B Ui C
@ A @ A
usj Ujs
0 1
P 0 0 0
B C
B0 P 0 0C
int B C
P ¼B C ð17Þ
B0 0 P 0C
@ A
0 0 0 P
Accordingly, the global interface stiffness matrix is given by
Rint
g ¼P
t int int
Rlocal P int ð18Þ
The displacement vectors ðUis Þ and ðUjs Þ are also linked to the nodal displacements of the solid
element ðU s Þ via the interpolation matrix of the solid element ðN s Þ:
Uis ¼ N s ðXi ÞU s
Ujs ¼ N s ðXj ÞU s ð19Þ
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
936 M. SADEK AND I. SHAHROUR
The set in Equation (19) permits the formulation of the nodal displacement of the interface in
terms of the nodal displacement of the solid element ðU s Þ as follows:
0 1
Uib 0 b1
B C Ui
B Ub C
B j C B C
U int ¼ B C int s B b C
B s C ¼ N @ Uj A ð20Þ
B Ui C
@ A Us
Ujs
Formulations for the embedded beam element were implemented in the finite element program
PECPLAS [9]. Calculation of elementary stiffness matrix for the reinforcement is carried out
using Equation (11) for embedded element with perfect bonding, while Equation (24) is used for
the embedded beam element with interface conditions. Calculation is conducted using the initial
stiffness method. An iterative procedure is employed for the distribution of out of equilibrium
forces resulting from plasticity at the interface or in solid elements.
This section presents verification of the embedded beam element by comparing its performances
to the conventional beam element for a problem involving analysis of inclined micropiles
subjected to lateral loading [10].
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
THREE DIMENSIONAL EMBEDDED BEAM ELEMENT 937
Figure 3. Example used for the comparison of the conventional and embedded beam elements.
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
938 M. SADEK AND I. SHAHROUR
Figure 4. Meshes used for the comparison: (a) conventional beam element; and
(b) embedded beam element.
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
THREE DIMENSIONAL EMBEDDED BEAM ELEMENT 939
Figure 5. Verification of the embedded beam element on a single inclined micropile subjected
to lateral loading ða ¼ 308Þ: (a) lateral deflection; (b) axial force; (c) shear force vs depth;
and (d) bending moment vs depth.
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
940 M. SADEK AND I. SHAHROUR
Figure 6. Group of micropiles used for the comparative study ðinclination ¼ 158).
The embedded element is used to analyse the influence of micropiles inclination on their
response to lateral loading (see Figure 8). Figure 9 shows results obtained for three inclinations
a ¼ 0; 15 and 308: Results clearly indicate that the micropiles inclination largely affects the
group response to lateral loading. The increase in the pile inclination leads to a significant
reduction in the lateral deflection, which results from an increase in the lateral stiffness of the
micropiles group. The inclination of micropiles allows for a mobilization of the axial stiffness of
micropiles to withstand lateral loading. This result is confirmed by the increase in the axial force
in micropiles, which attains 37% when a changes from 0 to 308: The latter indicates also an
increase of 78% in the lateral stiffness of the group. The inclination has also a beneficial effect on
the bending moment. Indeed, the increase in micropiles inclination induces a decrease in the
bending moment, which attains 65% for Mhead and 73% for Mpeak when a increases from 0 to
308: It has also a significant positive influence on the maximum developed shearing force, which
decreases by 71% when a increases from 0 to 308:
Table I summarizes the influence of micropiles inclination on the head lateral deflections and
on the maximum developed internal forces.
Calculations were performed with interface element between the soil and micropiles for two
inclinations a ¼ 0 and 308: The interface element is assumed to be purely cohesive ðjint ¼ 0Þ:
The tangential stiffness of the interface is assumed to be equal to the shear modulus of the soil
Kt ¼ Gs ; while a high value is assigned for the interface normal stiffness ðKn ¼ 1000 Kt ). A low
value was assigned to the interface resistance Cint ¼ 30 kPa: Even though this value is not
realistic, it is used herein only to illustrate the influence of a weak interface on the behaviour of a
group of micropiles under vertical and lateral loads.
Figure 10 shows results when the groups of micropiles are submitted to a vertical loading. The
variation of the vertical displacement of the cap ðvÞ with the applied load ðFi Þ is illustrated in
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
THREE DIMENSIONAL EMBEDDED BEAM ELEMENT 941
Figure 7. Results comparison for a group of micropiles subjected to lateral force ðinclination ¼ 158Þ:
(a) lateral deflection; (b) axial force; (c) shear force; and (d) bending moment.
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
942 M. SADEK AND I. SHAHROUR
Figure 8. Analysis of the influence of micropiles inclination on their response to lateral loading–geometry.
Figure 10(a). It shows two phases. The first one corresponds to the elastic domain with a linear
relation between the vertical load ðFi Þ and the vertical displacement of the cap ðvÞ: The elastic
limit for the group of vertical micropiles is equal to 210 kN; while it is equal to 190 kN for
inclined micropiles. The second phase corresponds to the plasticity (sliding) at the interface.
Calculations were conducted up to a limit loading which is equal to 210 kN for the group of
inclined micropiles and to 235 kN for the group of vertical micropiles. The latter is very close to
the theoretical bearing capacity of the group of vertical micropiles ð2n pDp Lp Cint Þ which is equal
to 235:7 kN: Figure 10(b) shows the profile of the tangential stress at the interface ðtÞ for two
levels of the vertical load Fi ¼ 104 and 234 kN: It can be observed that for Fi ¼ 104 kN; the
tangential stress at the interface ðtÞ is lower than its resistance ðCint ¼ 30 kPaÞ; this distribution
confirms the elastic behaviour of the group at this level of the load. For Fi ¼ 234 kN; it can be
observed that ðtÞ is equal to the interface resistance, which indicates that this load is equal to the
vertical bearing capacity of the group of micropiles.
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
THREE DIMENSIONAL EMBEDDED BEAM ELEMENT 943
Figure 9. Influence of micropiles inclination on their response to lateral loading: (a) lateral deflection;
(b) axial force; (c) shear force; and (d) bending moment.
Figure 11 shows results obtained when the groups of micropiles are submitted to lateral
loading. Results depicted in this figure clearly show that, in the elastic domain, micropiles
inclination induces an increase in both the lateral and axial stiffness of the group. The increase in
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
944 M. SADEK AND I. SHAHROUR
Figure 10. Response of a group of micropiles with interface to vertical loading–influence of inclination: (a)
variation of the vertical displacement at the center of the cap with the vertical load; and (b) distribution of
the tangential stress at the interface of the group of vertical micropiles for two levels of loading.
the lateral stiffness is higher than that in the axial direction. It can also be observed that in the
case of a weak interface, micropiles inclination reduces the group bearing capacity. Indeed, the
calculated bearing capacity of the vertical group is about 260 kN; which exceeds by about 35%
that calculated for the group of inclined micropiles. This result is due to the fact that inclination
of micropiles causes an increase in the head axial force ðNhead Þ as discussed earlier. The increase
in Nhead leads to higher tangential stresses at the micropile-soil interface in inclined micropiles
(Figure 11(c).). Consequently, this causes them to fail before vertical micropiles do.
6. CONCLUSION
This paper presented the formulations for an embedded beam element, which offers flexible
features for the analysis of reinforced geomaterial structures. This element permits analysis of
reinforced geomaterial structures with simplified meshes, that do not need to account for
reinforcements orientation. The implantation of this element was verified on analyses performed
on a single and a group of inclined micropiles subjected to horizontal loading. This element was
also used to study the influence of inclination on the behaviour of micropiles group. Results
related to this case indicated that inclination has beneficial effect on the behaviour of micropiles
group under lateral loading. The increase in inclination allows for a significant increase in the
micropiles lateral stiffness and to a notable reduction in both the bending moment and shearing
forces resulting from lateral loading.
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
THREE DIMENSIONAL EMBEDDED BEAM ELEMENT 945
Figure 11. Response of a group of micropiles with interface to lateral loading}Influence of inclination:
(a) Variation of the lateral displacement of the cap with the lateral load; (b) variation of the
vertical displacement at the centre of the cap with the lateral load; and (c) distribution of the tangential
stress at the interface for F ¼ 192 kN:
Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946
946 M. SADEK AND I. SHAHROUR
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Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28:931–946