Investigation of Mesh Improvement in Multimaterial ALE Formulations Using Geotechnical Benchmark Problems

Abstract

Two of the mesh-based numerical approaches suitable for geotechnical large deformation problems, the multimaterial arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (MMALE) and the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) methods are investigated. The remeshing step in MMALE was claimed to hold advantages over CEL, but its effects on application problems are not studied in detail. Hence, the possible capabilities and improvements of this step are studied in three large deformation geotechnical problems with soil–structure interaction. The problems are validated and verified using experimental and analytical solutions, respectively. By using the remeshing step in MMALE, a smoother material interface, lower remap related errors, and better computation costs are achieved.