The effect of 2D finite element mesh properties on the dynamic behavior of saturated sands

Abstract

Abstract Numerical analyses are frequently used to determine the dynamic behavior of soils. In order to obtain correct results, it is extremely critical to establish a suitable finite element mesh. While excessively coarse meshes shorten the calculation time and cause details to be ignored, dense finite element meshes lead to prolonged analysis times and high costs. Therefore, the selection of the optimum finite element mesh density in numerical analyses is a critical issue for the balance between performance and efficiency. The present study studies the effect of 2D finite element mesh properties on the dynamic behavior of saturated sands. Three different sand soils with loose, medium and dense densities were modelled with the PM4Sand constitutive equation, and a total of 96 numerical analyses were performed for four different acceleration-time records. The findings of the analyses provide practical guidance for optimizing mesh selection in numerical analyses performed within the scope of geotechnical earthquake engineering.