Numerical simulation of seismic wave propagation: solution verification

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The future of modeling in geotechnical earthquake engineering will be based almost exclusively onPerformance-Based Seismic Design philosophy that is based on displacements or deformations. A realisticnumerical simulation of deformation of geo-structures subjected to earthquake loading is very complex. Whilethere are many advanced tool available, one of the main questions raised when results of a numerical analysisare evaluated is: "How much can (should) we trust numerical simulations?" Trust in results obtained fromnumerical analysis is gained through verification and validation. Verification determines if the numericalmodel is correctly being solved for the intended mathematical equation of interest, while validation establishesthe level of representativeness of the model. This proposal will conduct a detailed and critical verification ofthe program FLAC3D for the problem of seismic wave propagation. The verification will consist on evaluatingthe numerical accuracy of the program by comparing its performance to a suite of mathematical solutionsregarding elastodynamic and poroelastodynamic problems. Crucial elements of numerical modeling such asspatial and temporal discretization, and initial and boundary conditions will be investigated together with theembedded coupled formulation of solid-fluid interaction. Furthermore, an advanced nonlinear model newlyimplemented in the program will be evaluated in comparison to the one in OPENSEES program for a variety ofverification problems. These computational platforms and the intended model are being increasingly used inacademia and advanced engineering practice, and for that reason this study is a paramount step towardssupporting further research on advanced numerical simulation of seismic wave propagation. Results from thisproposal will also allow a better understanding of the mechanics at play during modelling of earthquake wavesenabling the Canadian professional practice to use outcomes of this study to develop safer, more reliable, andmore economical designs.