Informationen und Empfehlungen des Arbeitskreises 1.6 „Numerik in der Geotechnik“ zur Berechnung von Grundwasserströmungen und deren Auswirkung auf die Standsicherheit mit der FEM

In this article, DGGT Working Group 1.6 ‘Numerics in Geotechnics’ provides information and recommendations on the calculation of groundwater flow and its effect on the overall stability using numerical methods, with special attention to the finite element method. These supplement the existing general recommendations of Working Group 1.6 and the recommendations for numerical analysis of the overall stability using the FEM. Important principles for the numerical analysis of saturated as well as partially saturated groundwater flow are topics of this article. The associated initial and boundary conditions as well as simplified calculation models are also discussed. Furthermore, physical properties of boundary value problems, such as their time dependency and the type of coupling between the mechanical behavior of the grain structure and the groundwater flow, are used for classification into analysis types. Finally, recommendations are given to support the selection of an analysis type and to find an adequate strategy for the calculation. Some further recommendations deal with the selection which of the numerous influences from groundwater flow on the results of FEM calculations should be taken into account, particularly for determining the overall stability. To conclude, guidelines for plausibility checking of the calculation results are provided.