Abstract
In this study, we propose an extended Goodman’s joint element formulation and a graph theory based mesh generation method for geotechnical analysis. Although the geometric shape of conventional Goodman’s joint element is assumed to be rectangular, the extended Goodman’s joint element has arbitrary triangular or quadrilateral shape and it is possible to model faults or joints intersecting in a soil. Additionally, the proposed mesh generation method generates tetrahedral solid elements for a soil with intersecting faults or joints modeled by extended Goodman’s joint elements.
