TC103 will focus on the following thematic topics relevant to soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering:
a) Investigation on effective predictive approaches to better understanding of coupled behavior in geomaterials (such as thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical coupling), various instabilities modes such as strain localization, liquefaction, large deformation, underground water flow and contamination, erosion and rapid flow in geomaterials, thermo-related geomechanics;
b) Development of advanced constitutive models to characterize the complex behavior of geomaterials, including elasto-plasticity, visco-plasticity, hypoplasticity, cyclic-plasticity, soil/rock degradation, strain softening, rate-dependency and anisotropy;
c) Development of advanced predictive tools based on new numerical and analytical techniques, such as Finite Element Method (FEM), Extended Finite Element Method (X-FEM), Boundary Element Method (BEM), Material Point Method (MPM), coupled Discrete Element Method (DEM) and FEM, Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method and Multiscale Modeling (MM) method.
d) Numerical implementation and calibration of advanced soil models using laboratory and field testing data; determination of model parameters using back analysis, and homogenization of locally heterogeneous geomaterials.
e) Critical evaluation of existing prediction approaches among the empirical methods, laboratory testing, simple elastic and/or elasto-plastic methods and limit analysis, and various comprehensive numerical methods.
f) Transfer of new knowledge to and training practicing engineers of the ISSMGE to address important engineering issues in dealing with natural hazards; promotion of exchange of ideas and experience between academics and practitioners.