Materal point method for geotechnical problems involving large deformation

In geotechnical engineering and foundations there are problems that involve large deformations, contact between bodies and penetration. In this case, Material Point Method (MPM) can be an alternative to Finite Element Method (FEM), improving considerably the quality of analysis. The MPM models the soil as a group of Lagrangean particles that are moved over a fix Eulerian mesh. Thus, the aspect related to distortions that arise in large deformation problems are solved. There are several codes of MPM. In this paper a code called NairnMPM is used. It allows the performance 2D and 3D dynamic analyses and can handle any defined material type. A very well-known geotechnical model (Modified Cam Clay) was implemented within the NairnMPM, being demonstrated through the results of oedometric and tri-axial tests. Also, a plane strain simulation of a rigid footing resting over a horizontal Modified Cam Clay soil is depicted after its submission to large settlement levels, in order to verify the method’s ability to handle large deformations problems