Computers and Geotechnics最新文献

{"title":"Microstructure effects on the uniaxial compression mechanical properties of granite: A study using a novel Stochastic Grain-Based Model (SGBM)","authors":"Wei Zeng ,&nbsp;Benhao Fu ,&nbsp;Shengqi Yang ,&nbsp;Zhenpei Guo ,&nbsp;Kai Wen","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.108011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.108011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study addresses the limitations of conventional Grain-Based Models (GBM) in characterizing the complex microstructure of granite, particularly their inability to accurately represent intricate grain interactions such as interlocking and enveloping relationships. To overcome these shortcomings, a stochastic GBM (SGBM) is developed within the PFC framework by simulating the grain competition growth mechanism inherent to granite formation. The proposed SGBM effectively reproduces key microstructural features of natural granite and enables precise control over mineral content and equivalent grain size. Utilizing this model, the influences of equivalent grain size and grain size heterogeneity on the mechanical properties of granite are systematically investigated. Results show that the SGBM successfully captures complex grain-contact modes (e.g., semi-enclosed, fully-enclosed, and interlocking) beyond the capability of traditional GBMs. The mechanical behavior—including peak strength, elastic modulus, and failure mode—is governed by the coupled effect of average grain size and heterogeneity. Crack propagation paths adhere to the principle of energy minimization, transitioning from intergranular to transgranular fracture as grain size increases. Moreover, by replicating complex grain contacts, the SGBM reveals two distinct crack propagation modes: penetrating-intergranular and penetrating-intragranular. The SGBM provides an effective numerical tool for linking microstructural characteristics to macroscopic mechanical behavior, offering valuable insights for stability assessment in deep rock mass engineering.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 108011"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) for dynamic pile-soil interaction problems","authors":"Juntao Wu ,&nbsp;Weikai Zhao ,&nbsp;Kuihua Wang ,&nbsp;M. Hesham El Naggar","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional analytical and numerical methods for dynamic pile-soil interaction (PSI) have limitations in solving the problem’s partial differential equations (PDEs). To address some of these limitations, a transfer learning enhanced progressive multi-physics-informed neural networks (TLP-mPINNs) framework is developed in this paper. The improved PINNs model utilizes customized independent deep neural networks (DNNs) for pile and soil to adapt to different material domains. First, a pre-trained pile vibration network is transferred to a more sophisticated pile-soil coupled vibration network to accelerate the training process. Second, the parameters of pile and soil DNNs are progressively trained through alternating learning to improve the model stability. The predictions of the TLP-mPINNs are verified using existing solutions of the pile-half space soil coupled vibration system. The validated model is then employed to investigate the dynamic PSI problem under different cases. The results demonstrate that the improved PINN framework can provide a new solution for the dynamic PSI problems, and highlight its potential as an optimization methodology for applying PINN to complex multi-media coupled vibration problems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107941"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stress integration algorithm of the small-strain Unified Hardening model for soils based on multistage Homotopy continuation method","authors":"Yangping Yao ,&nbsp;Yu Tian ,&nbsp;Zijun Yao ,&nbsp;Dechun Lu ,&nbsp;Xiuli Du","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2025.107860","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2025.107860","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The small-strain Unified Hardening (SSUH) model considers the high initial stiffness and rapid stiffness degradation of soils during the loading process. When its stress integration is implemented by an implicit algorithm in the finite element analysis, a key issue lies in how to solve the highly nonlinear constitutive equations. This paper proposes multistage Homotopy continuation method (MHCM), which progressively optimizes the initial guess by several stages of Homotopic deformation, to ensure the successful solution of the constitutive equations using Newton-Raphson iteration. An adaptive Homotopic deformation rate is introduced to prevent the subsequent stage of Homotopic deformation from repeating the previous failure. Compared with the original single-stage Homotopy continuation method, MHCM improves the convergence and efficiency without compromising the accuracy. Based on the SSUH model and the proposed stress integration algorithm, the ground displacement induced by the excavation of Crossrail tunnels can be reasonably predicted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107860"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Numerical investigation of pipeline upheaval buckling in rockfills: significance of particle scale effect","authors":"Yaqiong Wang ,&nbsp;Tao Zhao ,&nbsp;Chao Sun ,&nbsp;Shuodong Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiang Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The predictive models for uplift resistance of subsea pipelines buried in coarse-grained materials, particularly gravels or rockfills, are semi-empirical in the current design guidelines, and the impact of particle scale effect, i.e. the ratio between the pipe diameter (<em>D</em>) and the median particle size (<em>d</em>₅₀), is often not considered. To help understand this effect, this study performed a set of numerical analyses of the pipe upheaval in rockfills with various embedment ratios <em>H</em>_c/<em>D</em> (from 0.5 to 6, primarily) and <em>D</em>/<em>d</em>₅₀ ratios (from 3 to 20) using the three-dimensional Discrete Element Method (DEM). The state-of-the-art DEM simulation is believed to well capture the morphologies of coarse-grained materials by using elongated particle clumps. The DEM results show good agreement with the latest database for the uplift resistance factor, <em>f</em>_up (<span><span>Sun et al., 2025</span></span>), presenting significant particle scale effect particularly when <em>D</em>/<em>d</em>₅₀ and <em>H</em>_c/<em>D</em> are both small. A global uplift failure mechanism was presented with a larger inclination angle of the displaced soil wedge when the particle scale effect is dominant. A transition value of <em>D</em>/<em>d</em>₅₀ for the particle scale effect can be approximated between 7.0 and 10.0. A two-parameter model was proposed to help evaluate the rockfill weight and shear contributions during pipe uplift. For design purposes, high and low estimate trendlines of uplift resistance were given with the uplift zone shape factor <em>β</em> and shear resistance factor <em>f</em>_up varying between [1.0, 2.0] and [0.3, 0.8], respectively. The proposed model has shown a good coverage of data in terms of the predicted resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107944"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unsteady diffusion characteristics of pulsed grouting considering grout-rock hydromechanical coupling effect","authors":"Yuanjing Liu ,&nbsp;Lei Weng ,&nbsp;Lianzhen Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhijun Wu ,&nbsp;Quansheng Liu ,&nbsp;He Chen ,&nbsp;Longji Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grouting in deep fractured rock masses subjected to high in-situ stress remains technically challenging primarily due to restricted grout propagation and the high susceptibility of fractures to clogging. Pulsed grouting has emerged as an effective approach to improving fracture injectability by imposing periodic pressure fluctuations, which induce transient fracture deformation and thereby enhance grout transport within the fracture network. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms by which pulsed grouting enhances grout penetration and diffusion under coupled grout-rock hydromechanical conditions remain insufficiently understood. To address this gap, an unsteady grouting diffusion model for Bingham fluids was developed, incorporating the spatiotemporal evolution of grout rheology and coupled grout-rock hydromechanical interactions. The finite volume method was employed to simulate the entire unsteady grouting process. The model introduces a spatiotemporal mapping algorithm for grout reaction degree and a dynamic response scheme for fracture aperture, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional models in representing unsteady grouting behavior. Quantitative comparisons with constant-flow grouting experiments verified the accuracy of the core physical modules of the model, while qualitative consistency with reported pulsed grouting studies confirmed its capability to capture dynamic response trends. The results demonstrate that the enhancement mechanism of low-frequency pulsed grouting is governed by two synergistic processes: (i) the yield-threshold rectification effect induced by pressure pulsations, and (ii) cubic law amplification with elastic discharge triggered by cyclic fracture opening and closing. Together, these mechanisms effectively mitigate grout front blockage associated with the time-dependent rheology of the grout. Compared with steady grouting, the total injected volume under a 4 Hz pulsed condition increased by 314.5%, indicating a substantial improvement in fracture groutability. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing the grouting parameters in deep fractured rock masses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107975"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling washboard patterns on unpaved roads through transport dynamics","authors":"Laura Ibagón ,&nbsp;Pablo Alvarado ,&nbsp;Fernando Lopez-Caballero ,&nbsp;Juan P. Villacreses ,&nbsp;Bernardo Caicedo ,&nbsp;María José Torres","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107987","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107987","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Washboard patterns are a common feature of unpaved roads. In developing countries, unpaved roads represent a significant portion of the national road infrastructure system. To ensure efficient use of resources, it is crucial to explore new strategies to extend the lifespan of these roads. Despite this importance, the mechanical behaviour that leads to the formation of undulations remains uncertain. This research aims to address this gap by investigating the washboard formation using the granular transport model developed by <span><span>Nishimori and Ouchi (1993)</span></span>. Originally designed to explain the sand dune formation, this model attributes dune development to shear forces exerted by wind on sand. A similarity was identified with the washboard phenomenon, where waves emerge due to shear forces generated by vehicle wheels. To evaluate this process, the dune transport model is applied to analyse washboard experimental data collected by <span><span>Ibagón et al. (2023)</span></span>. The findings suggest that the theoretical model captures corrugation development and demonstrates that washboard can also be analysed from the perspective of dynamic particle transport.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107987"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of acid dissolution patterns along rough-walled fractures with effects of mineral compositions and fracture geometries","authors":"Yun Chen ,&nbsp;Pengxiang Gao ,&nbsp;Zhihong Zhao ,&nbsp;Guowei Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107971","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Acid fracturing is a critical technique for stimulating carbonate reservoirs and increasing production of oil, gas, and geothermal energy. The mechanism of acid–rock fracture interaction remains poorly understood in heterogeneous carbonate rocks, commonly characterized by complex fracture geometries and mineral compositions. Moreover, the acid dissolution pattern, which reflects the acidizing efficiency, is difficult to quantify. This study numerically investigates the process of acidizing along rough-walled carbonate fractures, considering the effects of mineral component and fracture geometry. A novel hydrochemical coupled thin-layer acidizing model embedding a virtual rough-fracture component is developed to capture acid dissolution patterns by incorporating the nonlinear flow effects and the multireaction processes. The model is verified against laboratory fracture acidizing experiments by comparing the simulated dissolution morphologies and the evolution of average aperture with experimental observations. On this basis, the competitive interactions among carbonate heterogeneities at different acid injection rates are clarified. Numerical results indicate that mismatch length reshapes the fracture flow field by altering the surface contact ratio and aperture distribution, thereby influencing the formation of dissolution pathways. The mineral component determines the advancement of the acid front and the heterogeneity of the dissolution morphology by regulating the local reaction rate. At low injection rates, mineral composition dominates dissolution morphology, whereas at higher rates, mismatch length controls transitions among dissolution regimes. A dissolution transition model that incorporates carbonate heterogeneities is further developed to quantify different dissolution patterns (uniform dissolution, channel dissolution, and surface dissolution), providing a quantitative basis for optimizing acid-treatment parameters in field practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107971"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extension of explicit Runge-Kutta substepping stress integration for viscoplastic model of saturated soils","authors":"Wei CHENG ,&nbsp;Zhen-Yu YIN","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107937","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107937","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stable integration schemes are critically important for rate-dependent constitutive models, serving as a cornerstone for ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and robustness in finite element implementations. This paper investigates the numerical performance of explicit stress integration schemes with adaptive substepping for integrating a newly proposed fractional consistency two-surface viscoplastic model for saturated clays. The incremental stress–strain-strain rate relation of the model can be linearized following the consistency condition of the rate-dependent loading surface and subsequently integrated using four distinct explicit Runge-Kutta substepping integration algorithms (i.e., RK12, RK23, RK34, RK45) with automatic error control and stress drift correction techniques. The overall numerical performance of the algorithms in terms of accuracy and efficiency is evaluated at both the material point level (i.e., isotropic, oedometric, and triaxial compression tests) and the boundary-value problem level (i.e., piezocone penetration and underground gallery excavation), which demonstrates that the RK23 and RK34 algorithms perform excellently in balancing accuracy and computational cost. The proposed algorithms provide a versatile and adaptive framework for integrating time-dependent constitutive equations, particularly those based on the consistency viscoplastic approaches commonly used in advanced rate-dependent modeling, allowing for a wide range of geotechnical engineering applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107937"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Numerical investigation of pore pressure evolution mechanisms in saturated sand during liquefaction using coupled discrete element method","authors":"Zhuolin Su ,&nbsp;Jialin Xu ,&nbsp;Chengshun Xu ,&nbsp;Kemin Jia ,&nbsp;Chunyi Cui","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study develops a three-dimensional fluid-particle coupling numerical model based on the discrete element method (DEM), incorporating point cloud volume sampling technology to achieve high-precision dynamic calculation of particle porosity. The model comprehensively considers the coupling effects of pore structure evolution on pore water pressure fields, establishing governing equations that couple porosity-change-induced (PI) and diffusion-induced (DI) pressurization/depressurization mechanisms. The accuracy of the proposed method is validated through three classical benchmark problems: Terzaghi’s one-dimensional consolidation, undrained triaxial tests, and the Mandel-Cryer effect. Using this approach, the complete process from liquefaction instability to reconsolidation densification in saturated loose sand is successfully simulated, accurately reproducing key liquefaction phenomena including excess pore water pressure accumulation and dissipation as well as microscopic pore structure reorganization. The study achieves quantitative separation of the relative contributions of PI and DI mechanisms during liquefaction, revealing that they synergistically constitute the fundamental control system of the entire process: the liquefaction triggering stage is primarily dominated by the PI mechanism, the development stage shows gradually increasing influence of the DI mechanism, and the reconsolidation stage is entirely controlled by the DI mechanism. This numerical framework provides a powerful tool for in-depth understanding of the fundamental physical mechanisms of soil liquefaction, offering significant theoretical and practical value for prediction and risk assessment of seismic liquefaction hazards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107961"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating statistical learning approaches to predict suction bucket displacement due to vertical cyclic loading in sand","authors":"Francisco da Silva Pereira ,&nbsp;Conleth D. O’Loughlin ,&nbsp;Britta Bienen ,&nbsp;Bruno Stuyts","doi":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107970","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compgeo.2026.107970","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are sensitive to tilting, and therefore strict out of verticality limits apply to the foundation serviceability limit state design. In the case of OWTs supported by suction bucket jackets (SBJs), tilting of the turbine arises from differential displacement between the windward and leeward suction buckets, such that predicting the foundation displacement due to vertical cyclic loading is critical. Assessing displacement accumulation due to cyclic loading for all the suction buckets in an offshore wind farm would require significant time, and detailed soil and loading information may not be available at the early stages of the design. Statistical learning models can map complex non-linear interactions between features and target variables by performing regression techniques in a given dataset (training data). Once the patterns in the training dataset have been learned, predictions can be performed orders of magnitude quicker than numerical models, making them well suited to design practice, particularly during the feasibility stage of a design. This paper investigates the performance of three non-linear statistical learning models (General Additive Model, Random Forest and eXtreme Gradient Boosting) in predicting the accumulated displacement of suction buckets due to vertical cyclic loading. The research data are taken from centrifuge model tests that feature over 80,000 load cycles with varying mean stress, stress amplitude and drainage conditions. The model performance was assessed using statistical metrics (coefficient of determination and mean squared error) and by comparing the measured and calculated displacements for storm loading, with the ensemble models providing encouraging results. The prediction making process of the best performing model (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) was investigated using a game theory approach (SHappley Additive exPlanations) and was shown to be consistent with current engineering knowledge. Notably, the best performing model was able to capture the effects of changing stress amplitude during storm loading, offering a more realistic representation than the cyclic load magnitude ordering approach that is typically adopted in engineering practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55217,"journal":{"name":"Computers and Geotechnics","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 107970"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}