ABSTRACT
All the aforementioned problems can efficiently be solved by using robust FE computer programs dedicated to this class of applications. These codes must include comprehensive constitutive models for soils and rocks, and robust locking free finite elements (standard linear triangles or quadrilaterals for instance are unable to reproduce soil incompressibility in the critical state). It must also be emphasized here that increased level of complexity in the 3D FE modeling requires detailed geotechnical field and laboratory testing. CPT/CPTU, SCPT, DMT, SDMT and triaxial testing, including measurement of shear wave velocity, are frequently needed for calibrating complex soil models, used later on for solving practical cases.
