Formulations of a hydromechanical interface element

A hydromechanical interface element is proposed for the consideration of the hydraulic-mechanical coupling effect along the interface. The fully coupled governing equations and the relevant finite element formulations are derived in detail for the interface element. All the involved matrices are of the same form as those of a solid element, which makes the incorporation of the model into a finite element program straightforward. Three examples are then numerically simulated using the interface element. Reasonable results confirm the correctness of the proposed model and motivate its application in hydromechanical contact problems in the future.