Solution of problems with material nonlinearities with a coupled finite element/boundary element scheme using an iterative solver. Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

Abstract

The prediction of stresses and displacements around tunnels buried deep within the earth is an important class of geomechanics problems. The material behavior immediately surrounding the tunnel is typically nonlinear. The surrounding mass, even if it is nonlinear, can usually be characterized by a simple linear elastic model. The finite element method is best suited for modeling nonlinear materials of limited volume, while the boundary element method is well suited for modeling large volumes of linear elastic material. A computational scheme that couples the finite element and boundary element methods would seem particularly useful for geomechanics problems. A variety of coupling schemes have been proposed, but they rely on direct solution methods. Direct solution techniques have large storage requirements that become cumbersome for large-scale three-dimensional problems. An alternative to direct solution methods is iterative solution techniques. A scheme has been developed for coupling the finite element and boundary element methods that uses an iterative solution method. This report shows that this coupling scheme is valid for problems where nonlinear material behavior occurs in the finite element region.