ABSTRACT
Hybrid modelling is an experimental methodology that integrates information from physical and numerical modelling components running in parallel with the aim of achieving a more realistic and accurate representation of a complex system. Interfacing physical and numerical models requires an efficient, reliable and fast data coupling method that enables the exchange of state updates (e.g. loads, displacements). This paper presents a hybrid analysis method for the study of tunnel-building interactions within a geotechnical centrifuge, referred to as the coupled centrifuge-numerical model (CCNM). The method incorporates a physical model in a geotechnical centrifuge and a numerical simulation using the finite element analysis software ABAQUS. Previously developed methods for communicating between ABAQUS and external programs used time-costly methods that delayed data transmission. The work presented here shows how the interfacing challenge can be overcome by adopting a network infrastructure withinABAQUS using FORTRAN subroutines. The new scheme can transfer data to and from ABAQUS in a 20 ms timescale, a vast improvement over previous hybrid testing applications This solution is beneficial to studies that need sub-second data interfacing between ABAQUS and an external interface.
