With the help of Tarcisio Barreto Celestino and Antonio Bobet, our MIDAS Expert Osvaldo Paiva Magalhães Vitali took on a new approach using midas GTS NX on tunnels with complex ground and loading conditions. In their recent publication in the Soils and Rocks Journal, we can see how they used the features in midas GTS NX to impose body forces to the 3D finite elements; this is done by providing components of the Cauchy stress tensor.
Throughout their research, the engineers found that to capture 3D face effects of complex scenarios such as the behavior of tunnels in anisotropic rock masses. In the new approach they presented, the engineers found that by imposing both the boundary conditions and far-field stresses on 3D numerical models of tunnels under complex ground and loading conditions, they can easily simulate any tunnel orientation in regards to the main directions of stress and material anisotropy. Download the full article below!
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He is a Geo-structural Engineer at Terracon Consultants Inc. and Early CarrierEditorial Board (ECEB) member at the Underground Space journal. He holds a Ph.D.in Civil Engineering from the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University.Dr. Vitali joined Purdue University in January 2016 after obtaining a very prestigious scholarship for doctoral students from the Brazilian Government. Dr. Vitali earned a master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering, from the University of São Paulo,Brazil, in February of 2011, and a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from theState University of São Paulo, Brazil, in July of 2009. Dr. Vitali’s interests are on the behavior of underground structures in complex anisotropic under complex loading conditions and on the interaction among geotechnical structures, such as tunnels, deep excavations, and foundations in the urban environment. He has published eight articles and three conference papers, as the first author, in the last three years. The results of his Ph.D. research have significant practical applications and will ultimately contribute to improving predictions of tunnel response ahead of the tunnel face, based on the performance of the tunnel already excavated.
Dr. Vitali gained teaching experience at Purdue University as a teaching assistant for a basic mechanics course and for Geotechnical Engineering courses, where he developed innovative course materials using an industry-based FEM software (MidasGTS NX) for Geotechnical Engineering courses. His contributions to learning have been recognized with the 2020 Estus H. And Vashti L. Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching at Purdue University. Before joining Purdue University, Dr. Vitali worked for five years at THEMAG Engenharia, São Paulo, Brazil, on designing largeInfrastructure projects, especially tunnels and deep excavations in urban environments. Among other tasks, he was responsible for conducting 3D FEM modeling of complex geotechnical structures in soil masses, such as tunnel-shaft connections, and assessing the impacts of tunnels and deep excavations on adjacent structures
