FE Analyses: Compaction‐Induced Stresses and Deformations

Abstract

Analytical models and a finite element analysis methodology are presented for evaluation of compaction‐induced soil stresses and resulting soilstructure interaction effects. These analytical methods model the incremental placement and compaction of soil, and are based on a hysteretic model for residual soil stresses induced by multiple cycles of loading and unloading. Compaction loading is realistically considered as a transient, moving, surficial load of finite lateral extent, which passes one or more times over some specified portion of the fill surface at each stage of backfill compaction. Multiple compaction passes at a given fill stage are modeled using a single solution increment. Several case studies are presented in which analytical results are compared with full‐scale field measurements of compaction‐induced stresses and deformations in order to verify the analytical methods presented.