ABSTRACT
The performance of two advanced numerical methods using Multi-Material Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (MMALE) and Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) formulations is studied. The evaluation is based on two large deformation benchmark cases which classical pure Lagrangian methods cannot model. MMALE is an enhanced version of CEL in which the computational mesh can be rezoned in an arbitrary way so that mesh nodes are concentrated in areas of interest. This form of solution adaptivity provides more data in regions undergoing large deformations compared to the fixed mesh in CEL methods. MMALE has gained popularity in the field of fluid dynamics. In this study, the applicability of MMALE to geomechanical problems is investigated with regard to accuracy and robustness. Two geomechanical problems, pipeline displacement and sand column collapse, are analyzed for this purpose. It can be concluded that MMALE handles such large deformation problems more efficiently than CEL.
