Numerical modeling of ground movement and soil mobility

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Summary of proposed research for public release:The proposed research is focused on the development of computer modeling capabilities in analyzing soil deformation and soil movement.  Ground movement and soil mobility are important subjects in geotechnical engineering.  Small and large movements are of interest, and sometimes crucial, for many engineering projects.  Large movement and fast mobility of soil, such as landslide and debris flow, threaten the safety of people and cause damage to properties.  Landslide and debris flow can lead to significant property damage and loss of life.  As a result, a quantitative risk analysis (QRA) has been adopted to determine the potential threats due to landslide and debris flow.  In order to apply QRA effectively, it is necessary to analyze soil movement and soil mobility with reasonable accuracy and  reliability.Beside managing natural hazards, ground movement calculation is of interest to the a) mining industry, in ensuring the safety of mine, handling of materials, b) the extraction industry, such as oil and gas, in stability of well bores and c) anyone who uses the ground to support a structure or is carrying out work that changes the ground conditions.This research is to develop and make improvements in existing constitutive models for analyzing soil deformation and soil mobility, and to develop numerical techniques for analyzing the mobility of soils.  The numerical model will be able to simulate movement of soils and calculate the velocity, distance and quantity of flow.  The model is based on a combined continuum and discontinuum approach which will enable us to use continuum models for arriving at the constitutive description of soils and for calculation of large soil movements.