Reflecting the current research and advances made in the application of numerical methods in geotechnical engineering, this volume details proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium on 'Numerical Models in Geomechanics - NUMOG IX' held in Ottawa, Canada, 25-27 August 2004. Highlighting a number of new developments in the area, papers concentrate upon the following four main areas: * constitutive relations for geomaterials * numerical algorithms: formulation and performance * modelling of transient, coupled and dynamic problems * application of numerical techniques to practical problems. Representing the most advanced, modern findings in the field, Numerical Models in Geomechanics is a comprehensive and impeccably-researched text, ideal for students and researchers as well as practising engineers.

Since the 1990s five books on ‘Applications of Computational Mechanics in Geotechnical Engineering’ have been published. Innovative Numerical Modelling in Geomechanics is the 6th and final book in this series, and contains papers written by leading experts on computational mechanics. The book treats highly relevant topics in the field of geotechnics, such as environmental geotechnics, open and underground excavations, foundations, embankments and rockfill dams, computational systems and oil geomechanics. Special attention is paid to risk in geotechnical engineering, and to recent developments in applying Bayesian networks and Data Mining techniques. Innovative Numerical Modelling in Geomechanics will be of interest to civil, mining and environmental engineers, as well as to engineering geologists. The book will also be useful for academics and researchers involved in geotechnics.

A collection of 54 papers selected for presentation at the 2nd FLAC Symposium. The contributions cover a wide range of topics from engineering applications to theoretical developments in the areas of embankment and slope stability, mining, tunnelling, and soil and structure interaction.

Geomaterials -- materials whose mechanical behavior depends on the pressure to which they are subjected -- include concrete, soils and rocks. The availability of numerical modeling, which has transformed the study of geomechanics, makes possible the application of numerical methods to the materials and topics treated here. These include brittle and ductile materials, water saturated and partially saturated geomaterials, large and small strains, steady state and transient problems, soil dynamics, strain localization and applications related to natural hazards.

It has become increasingly important, particularly in an urban environment, to predict soil behaviour and to confine the settlement or deformation of buildings adjacent to construction sites. One important factor is the choice of construction procedure for the installation of piles, sheet pile walls, anchors or for soil improvement techniques, ground freezing and tunnelling methods. The modelling of construction processes, which are frequently associated with large deformations of the soil and with strong changes in the structure of the soil around the construction plant, in the case of, for example, a drill, a bit, a vibrator, or an excavation tool, requires sophisticated and new methods in numerical modelling. Often the simulation of the construction procedure is neglected in the calculations. Such methods are described and discussed in this book, as are examples of the methods applied to geotechnical practice, field and laboratory testing as well as case studies. This volume provides a valuable source of reference for scientists in geotechnical engineering and numerical modelling, geotechnical engineers, post graduate students, construction companies and consultants, manufacturers of geotechnical construction plants and software suppliers and developers of geotechnical construction methods.

In this fully up-to-date volume, important new developments and applications of discrete element modelling are highlighted and brought together for presentation at the First International UDEC/3DEC Symposium. Papers covered the following key areas: * behaviour of masonry structures (walls, bridges, towers, columns) * stability and deformation of tunnels and caverns in fractured rock masses * geomechanical modelling for mining and waste repositories * rock reinforcement design (anchors, shotcrete, bolts) * mechanical and hydro-mechanical behaviour of dams and foundations * rock slope stability, deformation and failure mechanisms * modelling of fundamental rock mechanical problems * modelling of geological processes * constitutive laws for fractured rock masses and masonry structures * dynamic behaviour of discrete structures. Numerical Modelling of Discrete Materials in Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Earth Sciences provides an ultra-modern, in-depth analysis of discrete element modelling in a range of different fields, thus proving valuable reading for civil, mining, and geotechnical engineers, as well as other interested professionals.

Rocks and soils can behave as discontinuous materials, both physically and mechanically, and for such discontinuous nature and behaviour there remain challenges in numerical modelling methods and techniques. Some of the main discontinuum based numerical methods, for example the distinct element method (DEM) and the discontinuous deformation analysi

Particle methods have seen increasing use in several engineering and scientific fields, both because of their unique modelling capabilities and the availability of the necessary computational power. This title focuses on their theory and application.