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Guest-speaker: High-performance fibres in concrete
With David Oliveira, Technical Director, Aurecon and Kristian Krabbenhoft from Optum
The design of fibre-reinforced concrete structures must follow the design principles concerning limit state similar to those adopted for conventionally reinforced concrete. However, the use of linear elastic analysis or conventional yield line theory may, in many cases, underestimate the benefits of the fibres to provide greater load-bearing capacity, particularly when high-performance steel fibres are adopted.
In this webinar, the benefits of high-performance fibres are explored via two case studies involving tunnel linings for the Sydney Metro and the Westconnex motorway project, also in Sydney, Australia.
Guest-speaker: Stability of seabed slopes - Automated design using OPTUM GX
With Christian Linde Olsen from Subsea7 and Kristian Krabbenhoft from Optum
The OPTUM GX plugin Au2RoxTM, created by Subsea7, Aker BP, and Optum CE can dramatically reduce the design process for rock berms in iceberg plow marks. With this innovative tool, completing rock berm design, reporting and drawings is now possible 1000 times faster than traditional methods.
In this webinar we will introduce the new Finite Element software OPTUM GX and its many features such as creating your own Python plugins for improved efficiency.
Guest-speaker: Machine Learning Methods in Geotechnical Engineering
With Prof Majid Nazem, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
The Machine Learning approach is an area of AI and is based upon the principle that machines can receive data, learn, and predict behavior based on past observations from the received data. This webinar will address the applicability of different Machine Learning techniques in several geomechanics problems such as slope stability, load bearing capacity of piles, dynamic penetration, and predicting the inherent properties of soils.
The presentation slides are available upon request to info@optumce.com.
Guest-speaker: A high-cycle model for sand - Experimental basis, validation on model and field tests, and application to offshore wind turbine foundations.
With Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Torsten Wichtmann, Ruhr-University Bochum
During their lifetime offshore wind turbine (OWT) foundations are subjected to a large number of cycles caused by wind and waves. This high-cyclic loading may lead to an accumulation of deformations in the soil, resulting in a tilting of the structure, possibly endangering serviceability. The permanent deformations of the OWT foundations thus have to be accurately predicted during the design phase...
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Design of monopiles for cyclic loading
With Dr Rasmus Tofte Klinkvort, Senior Consultant, NGI (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute)
Offshore wind turbines are placed in loading environments with actions from wind and waves transferred through the monopile to the soil as cyclic loading. It is well established that cyclic loading of soil may lead to pore pressure accumulation and loss of effective stress and strength. The effect of cyclic loading therefore needs to be addressed when designing monopiles. This presentation will present a methodology to design monopiles for cyclic loading using a simplified approach. The methodology can be used together with simple spring models or more advanced finite element models.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Recent developments in modelling of soil-pipe interaction
With Prof George Kouretzis, University of Newcastle
Buried pipelines crossing seismic faults, subsidence zones, or areas susceptible to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading are designed to accommodate differential ground movements without developing excessive bending and axial strains, frequently by implementing special mitigation measures. This requires performing nonlinear numerical analyses with general purpose or specialised finite element software, where the soil reaction developing on the pipe as result of differential movements is modelled by means of elastoplastic Winkler springs.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Application of layout optimization in engineering analysis and design
With Prof Matthew Gilbert, University of Sheffield
To verify the safety of structural and geotechnical constructions against collapse, engineers have traditionally had to rely either on simplistic hand type calculations, or on significantly more complex computational tools that identify the collapse state in an indirect, iterative, manner - which can be costly in terms of computer and operator time.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: The granular genome: an alternative to constitutive modelling
With Prof. José E. Andrade from the California Institute of Technology.
In this talk, we explore the concept of granular genome, the set of inherent properties of granular assemblies that determine, in conjunction with the (external) state, the material’s emergent behavior. We will argue that this approach can be an effective alternative to orthodox constitutive modeling, which has been successful in describing material behavior as observed in a limited set of laboratory conditions, but whose fundamental ingredients remain obscure and ad hoc.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Foundations for offshore wind turbines
With Dr Britta Bienen from University of Western Australia.
Offshore wind farm developments are growing rapidly and entering new markets globally. The majority of offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are supported by monopiles, which are typically impact-driven into the seabed. Alternative installation and foundation solutions include vibro-driven piles and suction buckets. Irrespective of the selected solution, successful installation is critical to the in-service performance of the foundation.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Adaptive Finite Element Methods
With Dr. Majid Nazem of RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
The finite element method (FEM) is the most popular computational tool for analysing the behaviour of many complex engineering problems. The adaptive strategies have been developed to improve the accuracy as well as the efficiency of the FEM or to eliminate possible mesh distortion due to large deformations. In this webinar, Majid will present recent advances in the adaptive FEM strategies as well as their application in a wide range of problems including, but not limited to, soil-structure interaction, dynamics of two- and multi-phase media and penetration problems.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Tracking time in crunchy soft media
With Professor Itai Einav of University of Sydney. It is commonly known that cereals crush under load or become soggy in fluid over time. But what happens when they are both loaded and soaked at the same time? Surprisingly, this experiment uncovers ‘ricequakes’ – the sudden collapses of columns of wetted brittle porous media that produce perpetual clicking sounds akin to a slowing metronome. To explain this phenomenon we present a simple model of capillary driven crushing steps progressing through the micro-pores.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Multiscale Modeling of Granular Media
Granular media are ubiquitous on the Earth and intimately related to our daily life. They are the second most processed materials (next to water) in the world. Granular media are typically porous, discrete media and exhibit intricate behavior of both solids and fluids depending on the loading conditions. Understanding of the mechanics and physics of granular media is of pivotal importance to a wide range of engineering and industrial sectors, yet it remains one of the most challenging scientific questions to be fully answered. In this talk, we introduce our continuous efforts over the past 12 years at HKUST on computational multiscale modelling of granular media towards more comprehensive and deeper understanding of granular media as an engineering science.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Predicting the onset & post-failure of geomaterials
Geotechnical designs often rely on traditional analytical and computational approaches which are limited to small deformation problems. While these methods of analysis provide important guidance, and have been used for the safe design of many geotechnical structures, they are unable to provide information on the failure of such structures under extreme weather or operational conditions or the risk associated with these failure modes. In this talk, Ha Bui of Monash University, Australia will discuss recent developments in the field of computational geomechanics to predict the onset and post-failure of geomaterials with reference to geomechanics problems relating to slope stability and failure, debris flows, strain localisation/localised failure, soil-structure interaction, amongst other examples.
This webinar is hosted by University of Liverpool and sponsored by Optum CE.
Guest-speaker: Seabed pipe-soil interaction
We were very happy to welcome guest-speaker Joe G. Tom from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to host this webinar on the topic "Seabed pipe-soil interaction". Estimating pipe-soil interaction is a key aspect for designing safe and reliable oil & gas pipelines and renewable energy cables. Accurate prediction of the resistance is important for both on-bottom and buried infrastructure. In this webinar, recent practice-driven research, which utilised OPTUM G2 to aid in predicting the available resistance, will be overviewed. These studies cover predicting the as-laid lateral resistance of pipelines, the evolving resistance of on-bottom pipelines subject to sediment transport and the upheaval resistance of buried pipelines.
Guest-speaker: Suction pile foundation design in OPTUM G2 and OPTUM G3
It was with great pleasure, that we could once again welcome Christian Linde Olsen from Subsea 7 to host one of our webinars. Subsea 7 is a subsea engineering, construction and services company serving the offshore energy industry. Christian shows how Subsea 7 make use of the Finite Element Limit Analysis capabilities in OPTUM G3 and compares analysis results with data from a recently recovered suction pile structure. During the presentation, Christian demonstrates the advantages of performing a 3D analysis on a template with suction piles.
Guest-speaker: Design of rock anchors for offshore applications
While grouted rock anchors are common in engineering practice, the design of groutless anchors relies on oversimplified design methods. Dr. Benjamin Cerfontaine of University of Dundee will present his use of the Optum software in his research and why limit analysis is the perfect technique to efficiently investigate the failure mechanisms of groutless anchors and identify variables that should be incorporated in more accurate design methods.
Torsional loading effects on bearing capacity of shallow foundations in G3
In this webinar hosted by Optum co-founder Prof Kristian Krabbenhoft, we will show how OPTUM G3 can be used for evaluating the bearing capacity of shallow foundations with torsional loads. We will explore the effects of the FASD Sand model on the bearing capacity and also show how Matlab scripting can be used to effectively create failure envelopes (V-H, T-V, etc).
Recorded
Guest-speaker: The use of limit analysis in tectonic studies
Below temperatures of 300 °C, at depths lesser than 10 km, rocks are frictional Coulomb materials.
Therefore, Limit Analysis offers a useful simplified theoretical approach to the study of shallow tectonic deformations.
Pr. Bertrand Maillot of Géosciences et Environnement Cergy (GEC) presents various examples of such studies in this 45 min webinar followed by a Q&A with Bertrand and the Optum CE founders.
Recorded
The bearing capacity equation and how well it fits with Optum
A question we often get from users is why they are getting different results when using the bearing capacity equation and Optum. For some cases the bearing capacity equations provides exact results which is very valuable for verification purposes. For most cases the bearing equation is not exact, but in fact still very precise, which makes it useful for design but also for verifications. Find out for which cases you can expect perfect agreement, and for the cases you cannot: Why and What is the difference?
Recorded
Guest-speaker: 3D analysis in offshore geotechnics
45 min webinar hosted by guest-speaker Christian Linde Olsen from Subsea 7 followed by Q&A with Christian and the Optum CE founders. Subsea 7 is a subsea engineering, construction and services company serving the offshore energy industry. Christian will present their use of 3D analysis with 3 examples, one of which is the case study "Lessons Learned - Counter-acts Used To Install Pipelines Offshore In Very Soft Clay" and compare the results to OPTUM G3 analysis.
Recorded
How to choose the right friction angle in 3D
When doing 3D FE calculations you need to decide on which friction angle to use: Should you use the Plane Strain friction angle or the Triaxial friction angle? As the friction angle is dependent on the stress state the answer is not that easy. In OPTUM G3 we have found the solution to the problem and invite you to watch this webinar for the first-ever presentation of our new sand model.
Recorded
Consistent undrained modelling of clays in OPTUM G2 and G3
What to do when Tresca is a poor fit? As you might have discovered, real life clay has more to it than a single value. In OPTUM G2 and G3 all scenarios are easily handled using our material model called AUS – Anisotropic Undrained Shear – which – despite it’s name – actually handles both isotropic as well as anisotropic clays. Please join and learn how the AUS material model can be used for both Limit Analysis calculations, as well as for determining load-displacement curve.
Recorded
Slope stability in OPTUM G2
In OPTUM G2, factors of safety are computed using Strength Reduction Finite Element Limit Analysis (SR-FELA). Besides short calculation times, SR-FELA also provides the possibility to calculate rigorous upper and lower bounds on the true factor of safety. In practice, this means that the true factor of safety can be determined within a negligible tolerance in a matter of seconds.
Recorded
Introduction to OPTUM G3
OPTUM G3 is a unique Finite Element program allowing engineers to design practical everyday geotechnical problems in 3D with never before seen speed, accuracy, simplicity and pure enjoyment! Classic FE in a completely new framework.
Recorded
Retaining walls in OPTUM G2
Retaining walls come in a wide variety of types including mass gravity walls, mechanically stabilized earth walls, gabion walls and sheet pile walls. All of these can be analysed efficiently and accurately using OPTUM G2. The unique ability to compute rigorous upper and lower bounds on the true Factor of Safety (FoS), combined with automatic mesh adaptivity, makes OPTUM G2 a superior tool for design of retaining walls.