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Embedded regions

*Embedded region, <method>

Embedded regions couple a set of (guest) elements to a region of (host) elements without requiring a conforming discretisation: the guest elements may be located arbitrarily within the host mesh. For each guest node, the host element containing it is determined automatically, see the Theory Manual.

The following methods are currently available:

  • absorbed: Perfect bonding. The degrees of freedom of the guest nodes are eliminated and determined entirely via interpolation from the host element. The guest elements do not contribute to the global stiffness (passive tracking of embedded geometry).

  • interaction: Embedded beam approach. The guest (truss or beam) elements retain their independent degrees of freedom and interact with the host region through distributed interface springs (axial elastic - perfectly plastic slider, lateral elastic spring) which are numerically integrated over the embedded length. Typical applications are grouted anchors, soil nails and micro piles.

  • interaction-surface: Embedded beam with implicit interaction surface. The guest (3D beam) elements retain their independent degrees of freedom (translations and rotations) and interact with the host region through interface springs on a virtual cylindrical surface of realistic diameter (elastic - perfectly plastic Coulomb-circle slider in the tangent plane, elastic normal spring) and, optionally, a base disk with a compressive capacity. Typical applications are single piles, pile groups.