Allgemein

New Release

We are happy to announce a new numgeo release packed with powerful features!

Special thanks to Antaeus Bettmann, who has invested significant time to make numgeo more robust and to fix bugs — steadily growing into the role of core developer.

Highlights (among others):
• Many new constitutive models for soils
• Structural elements such as trusses and Timoshenko beams
• 3D elements for partially saturated soils
• Change materials mid-analysis
• Easy import of random fields
• Improved contact modelling with serendipity elements in 3D
• 4 new Tutorials and 11 new Benchmark studies

For the full list, see the release notes:

A huge shout-out to Johann Clausen (Aarhus University) for sharing his impressive implementations of elasto-plastic soil models such as Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown.

And thank you to Luis Mugele (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) for the joint effort in implementing the Generalised Intergranular Strain into numgeo.

The simulation of the train shown in the animation has been done by Paul Haberl.

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By numgeo.admin, ago

numgeo Webinar for the Sociedad Mexicana de Ingenieria Geotecnica

On Monday, July 21, 2025, we had the honor of presenting numgeo to the Sociedad Mexicana de Ingenieria Geotecnica (SMIG). The event was attended by 125 participants from the international geotechnical community and a recording is available:

The presentation covered an overview of numgeo’s capabilities and current developments. The agenda included:

  •  Introduction to numgeo
    • A walkthrough of core functionalities and modeling principles.
  • Ongoing Developments
    • Automatic calibration with numgeo-ACT
    • Large-deformation modeling via numgeo-PFEM
    • Mixed time integration using the IMEX scheme
    • Coupled simulations with Finite Discrete Element Modeling (FDEM)
  • Application Examples
    • Vibratory pile driving
    • Deep vibratory compaction
    • High-cycle loading of railway embankments
    • Cyclic loading of onshore wind turbine foundations
    • Earthquake impact on liquefiable soils
  • Strength Reduction Analysis
    • Focus on slope stability with groundwater flow and partial saturation.

We thank SMIG for the opportunity to present our work and for the valuable exchange with participants.

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By numgeo.admin, ago

numgeo Webinar at CT-300 of APGEO

On 23.04.2025, we presented the finite element code numgeo at the Comité Técnico Peruano de Métodos Numéricos (CT-300), organized by the Peruvian Association for Geotechnics (APGEO). The event was attended by over 80 participants from the Peruvian geotechnical community.

The presentation began with a brief introduction to the capabilities of numgeo, followed by a hands-on session that demonstrated a typical modelling workflow, including:

  • Geometry creation
  • Material definition
  • Load assignment
  • Post-processing

To showcase numgeo’s practical applications, a strip footing on loose sand was modelled. The example incorporated the SANISAND constitutive model to demonstrate how advanced material behaviour can be efficiently handled within numgeo.

In addition to the main presentation, attention was drawn to ongoing projects, including:

  • Automatic Calibration with numgeo-ACT
  • Large Deformation Modelling with numgeo-PFEM

The event provided an opportunity for valuable exchange, with participants actively engaging in discussions and posing insightful questions. The positive feedback received on both numgeo and its ongoing developments was greatly appreciated.

The recording of this webinar is now accessible online and can be viewed via the following link: Watch the webinar on youtube

We extend our gratitude to Gregory Alvarado Chavez and Juan José Valdivia from APGEO for the invitation and the opportunity to connect with the geotechnical community in Peru. We look forward to future collaborations and continued advancements in numerical geotechnics!

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By numgeo.admin, ago

Enhancing accuracy and efficiency in cyclic liquefaction modeling: An automatic calibration framework for advanced constitutive models

In collaboration with Sheng Zeng and Mahdi Taiebat from the University of British Columbia (UBC), we have extended our automatic calibration software numgeo-ACT for advanced constitutive models by integrating the SANISAND-MSf model and applying it to challenges in seismically induced soil liquefaction.

Our approach uses a two-stage optimization process: first, parameters governing the monotonic response are optimized using monotonic test data, and then refined using cyclic test data. With the help of the DEEM algorithm (Differential Evolution with Elitism and Multi-populations), calibration time and the required expertise are significantly reduced. Validation against an extensive experimental database of Ottawa F65 sand shows excellent agreement with experimental results.

The application of the calibrated parameters in the simulation of complex centrifuge tests on a saturated slope and a sheet-pile-supported excavation under seismic loading demonstrates the numerical robustness of the calibrated parameters and very good consistency with the model tests.

Check out the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266352X25001570

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By numgeo.admin, ago

Workshop 2025 in Weimar

On February 19 and 20, 2025, the numgeo Workshop 2025 took place at the Chair of Geotechnics at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. With over 50 participants from both Germany and abroad, including representatives from renowned industrial companies and research institutions, the workshop was a great success.

There were presentations by the developers of numgeo, as well as speakers from the Technical Universität of Darmstadt, the Ruhr Universität Bochum, and Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. A broad range of topics that can be addressed using numgeo and areas of ongoing development were covered.

The discussions focused on:

  • Large deformations using the Particle Finite Element Method,
  • Modelling of unsaturated soil conditions and expansive soils,
  • Offshore geotechnics, and
  • Stability analyses.

Participants gained valuable insights into the capabilities of numgeo for addressing geotechnical challenges and had the opportunity to apply the software in hands-on sessions.

As part of the workshop, Patrick Staubach’s inaugural lecture was also held, highlighting ongoing developments in numgeo.

Our special thanks go to the speakers from various institutions, as well as to the many helping hands involved in organizing the workshop – especially the dedicated students.

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    By numgeo.admin, ago

    New Release

     

    🎄 Christmas has come early this year! 🎄

    We are thrilled to announce the latest release of numgeo, our finite element software for advanced geotechnical simulations.

    Here’s a glimpse of what’s new in this release:

    ✅ Enhanced modelling for unsaturated soils: A novel approach to incorporate suction effects into the effective stress.
    ✅ Faster and more robust contact simulations.
    ✅ New mixed Implicit-Explicit time integration scheme.
    ✅ New equal-order stabilised elements tailored for unsaturated soil behaviour.
    ✅ Improving the integration of numgeo into the pre-processor GiD SIMULATION

    … and much more! Dive into the details by checking out the full release notes here

    Thank you to Antaeus Bettmann, Antonia Nitsch, Rahul Dogra, and Christoph Schmüdderich for their significant contributions to making this release possible!

    We hope you enjoy exploring the new features, and we look forward to your feedback!

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    By numgeo.admin, ago

    Workshop 2025 – Announcement

    Join us for the numgeo Workshop 2025 on February 19–20 at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The workshop will cover recent developments in numerical geotechnics, featuring expert talks, hands-on sessions on topics like particle finite element methods and high-cycle accumulation models and the inaugural lecture of Patrick Staubach.

    Participation is free, but registration is required. For more details, see the program in our flyer: flyer

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      By numgeo.admin, ago

      New paper: Numerische Ermittlung von Baugrundschwingungen bei dynamisch belasteten Fundamenten: Empfehlungen zur Modellierung

      In this publication, the Subcommittee on “Numerics in Soil Dynamics” of the German Geotechnical Society (DGGT) provides practical recommendations for the numerical modelling of ground vibrations under dynamic loads. Given the growing importance of dynamic considerations in geotechnical planning, these insights are aimed at enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of such calculations.

      In addition to developing these recommendations, we were especially pleased to validate our finite element software numgeo successfully against established commercial software packages such as Abaqus, Ansys, and Plaxis. While numgeo excels in the development and provision of new numerical methods, we are committed to integrating practical features relevant to geotechnical FE software. This successful validation is a particularly gratifying milestone, affirming our goal to make numgeo a reliable tool for engineering applications!

      Vertical displacement amplitude at ground surface: a) excitation frequency 4 Hz, b) excitation frequency 64Hz

      For further details, please refer to our full paper in geotechnik: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gete.202400016

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      By numgeo.admin, ago

      New Paper: Complex high-cyclic loading in an accumulation model for sand

      Cyclic loading of soils often involves complex stress and strain paths. In a new paper in the International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, we investigate the HCA model for complex cyclic loading with multidimensional loading paths and extend it for frequently changing loading amplitudes and directions in . This extension is validated by simulation of model tests on piles for offshore wind turbines subjected to multidimensional lateral loading with thousands of cycles.

      Check out the full open-access article here.

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        By numgeo.admin, ago