Finite element analyses in geotechnical engineering: an indispensable tool or a mysterious black box? (Part 1 of 3)

The usage of finite element analyses (FEA) in recent years has increased tremendously as a result of (i) increasing number of major geotechnical projects that need to be constructed close to existing buildings thus causing some form of soil-structure interaction which is difficult to analyse using empirical hand calculations or 1-D software and (ii) advancement of computing prowess with even home computers nowadays are capable of running simulated geotechnical analyses in a time frame not even dared to dream of some 10 years ago. With the widespread use of commercial FEA packages such as PLAXIS, SAGE-CRISP, SEEP/W, SIGMA/W, etc., prudent understanding of geomechanics principles is of fundamental importance so as to minimize computational errors as the consequences can be disastrous. This is compounded by the fact that in geotechnical engineering problems, no one engineer can possibly know the truth or outcome wholly, for reasons that are unique to geotechnical engineering. [Introduction