72880 - Laboratory of Geotechnical Modelling M

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Docente: Laura Tonni
  • Credits: 3
  • SSD: 0
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Civil Engineering (cod. 0930)

Learning outcomes

The course provides the students with an insight into the use of advanced constituve models and finite element methods in geotechnical contexts. The aim is to arm the students with sufficient knowledge that they might make good judgements as to the credibility of the numerical results they may obtain.

Course contents

Requirements/Prior knowledge

A prior knowledge of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering is required to successfully attend this course.

All lectures and tutorials are given in Italian. Accordingly, fluent spoken and written Italian is a necessary pre-requisite.

COURSE CONTENTS

  • Constitutive modelling of soil behaviour: Elastic perfectly plastic models and strain hardening models, Cam Clay model, Hardening Soil Model, Soft Soil Creep Model.
  • Introduction to the use of the FE geotechnical code Plaxis 2D.
  • Numerical simulation of settlement and bearing capacity of shallow foundations.

Readings/Bibliography

  • R. Nova. Fondamenti di meccanica delle terre. McGraw Hill, Italia
  • Plaxis 2D User's Manual, http://www.plaxis.nl/plaxis2d/manuals/

Teaching methods

Lectures, computer practical sessions and tutorials.

Assessment methods

The examination at the end of the course aims at assessing the achievement of the following learning objectives:

  • Sufficient knowledge of the most common elastoplastic models for sand, typically implemented in commercial Finite Element codes.
  • Ability to develop numerical models of typical elastoplastic geotechnical problems.
  • Ability to critically interpret results from numerical modelling.
The assessment is based on an oral exam. The student is asked to present and discuss the numerical model developed during the practical sessions, on the geotechnical problem assigned at the beginning of the course. 
In order to take the exam, students are requested to register using the online procedure available at https://almaesami.unibo.it.

Teaching tools

Blackboard, laptop.

Office hours

See the website of Laura Tonni