ABSTRACT
Problems in geomechanics involve a soil or rock mass that can, for most practical problems, be assumed to be of infinite or semi-infinite extent. When using domain methods (for example the finite element method, FEM) for the simulation, the ground is usually approximated by a finite domain with appropriate artificial boundary conditions applied at the edges. The problem with this is that many elements are used to model the far field, where the results are not of primary interest. Therefore three-dimensional analyses with domain methods often involve a large number of elements and unknowns and meshes with over a Million unknowns are no exception any more. Although sophisticated mesh-generation facilities exist for generating these meshes the task still requires significant effort. In addition, the control of the quality of the mesh and therefore the results
on the simulation of the sequential excavation of a tunnel with ground support.
