On the simulation of soils under rapid cyclic loading conditions

When simulating soils, which are subjected to dynamic loadings conditions, base on a convenient soil model, special attention has to be paid to the approximation of the real problem by a suitable initial-boundary-value problem (IBVP). In this regard, the semi-infinite half-space is split into a near-field, which is, in general, the domain of interest, and a far-field. However, truncating the half-space at the near field, which is often sufficient in quasi-static simulations, introduces artificial boundaries at which, in dynamic analysis, the incident waves are reflected back into the domain of interest. Several methods have been proposed in the literature to overcome this problem. The present contribution proceeds from a coupling approach, where the near and the far field are discretised with finite and infinite elements, respectively, and where additionally an energy-absorbing layer is introduced at the interface. The aim of the present contribution is to perform a parametric study associated with a biphasic soil model based on the Theory of Porous Media (TPM). Therein, numerical simulations are carried out in order to judge the energy-absorbing capabilities of the present far-field treatment under different parametric conditions. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)