Geotechnical Engineering

Design Practice

Dr. Sunil Khuntia

Assistant Professor
NIT Rourkela
 San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge

Before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge

After the earthquake

San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge

A finite element model to analyze the bridge under seismic

loads Courtesy: ADINA R&D
Engineering design
Physical Problem

Mathematical model
Governed by differential
equations

Numerical model
e.g., finite element
model
Engineering design

Preprocessing
Step 1
Step 2
Analysis
Step 3

Postprocessing
Modeling a physical problem
Physical Problem Change
physical
problem
Mathematical Improve
mathematical
Model
model

Numerical model

Does answer No!

Refine analysis
make sense?

YES! Design improvements

Structural optimization
End
GENERAL STEPS OF THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
The following two general methods are associated with the finite
element analysis.
They are:
(a) Force method.
(b) Displacement or stiffness method.
In force method, internal forces are considered as the unknowns of
the problem. In displacement or stiffness method, displacements of
the nodes are considered as the unknowns of the problem.
Among these two approaches, displacement method is more
desirable because its formulation is simpler for most structural
analysis problems. So, a vast majority of general purpose finite
element programs have used the displacement formulation for solving
structural problems.
GENERAL STEPS OF THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
Step 1: Discretization of Structure

Step 2: Numbering of Nodes and Elements

Step 3: Selection of a Displacement Function or

Interpolation Function

Step 4: Define the material behaviour by using Strain-

Displacement and Stress-Strain Relationships
GENERAL STEPS OF THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
Step 5: Derivation of element stiffness matrix and
equations:

Step 6: Assemble the element equations to obtain the

global or total equations:

Step 7: Applying boundary conditions:

Step 8: Solution for the unknown displacements:

GENERAL STEPS OF THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
Step 9: Computation of the element strains and
stresses from the nodal displacements

Step 10: Interpret the results (Post Processing):

Methodology
Finite Element Limit Analysis
 Lower bound numerical analysis
 Upper bound numerical analysis
Assumptions
 The material exhibits perfect or ideal plasticity, i.e. work-hardening
or work-softening is neglected.
 The yield surface is convex and the plastic strain rates are derivable
from the yield function through the associated flow rule.
Concept of bound theorems in Numerical limit analysis
Kinematically admissible velocity field
The velocity must satisfy strain compatibility.
Velocity boundary conditions
Obeys associated flow rule
Optimization:- Minimization

Upper Bound
Exact Solution
Lower Bound

Statically admissible stress field

Equations of equilibrium
Nowhere violates the yield criterion
Optimization:- Maximization