Learning Forum

[luca.vene]

Hello ANSYS community,

I am currently working on a project where I need to simulate the excavation process of soil. Specifically, I am interested in modeling the different phases of excavation and the resulting changes in the stress state of the surrounding soil during the removal process.

Could anyone provide guidance on how to:

1. Set up and simulate sequential excavation phases in ANSYS Mechanical.
2. Properly define boundary conditions and load steps to account for the staged removal of soil.
3. Manage potential challenges such as changes in geometry, stress redistribution, and stability during each excavation phase.

Any recommendations on best practices, relevant features in ANSYS Mechanical, or other useful tips would be highly appreciated.

Thank you for your support!

[Erik Kostson]

Hi

We do not have any examples in our help manual of such analysis as far as I can see.

Perhaps other forum members can chime in if they have done something similar and that could help here.

All the best

Erik

[dlooman]

One tool is "Birth and Death."  You can create the soil with multiple bodies and define multiple steps in which you specify whether bodies are alive or dead in each step.  The harder requirement is the material model for the soil for which you are probably on your own.