A 3D discretization procedure for the material point method (MPM)

Abstract

The land topography of certain mountainous regions can be highly variable. The geometry of the topography may be influenced by geological, seismic, weathering, and other processes. The creation of the full 3D numerical models of these topographies represents a challenge. In this work, we present a methodology that allows to create numerical material point method (MPM) models based on the contour lines of the land. The proposed methodology has three main characteristics: the construction of the MPM discrete model is based only on raster digital elevation model (DEM) data; finite element meshes are not required during the process; and the heterogeneities are defined by the DEM data of each material. The application of the proposed methodology to the Daguangbao landslide which occurred in China, in 2008, proved to be adequate for the creation of models with high topography variations and spatial heterogeneities.