A finite element formulation for strong discontinuities in fluid-saturatedporous media

The aim of this contribution is the development of a finite element formula tion tailored to capture strong discontinuities in fluid-saturated porous m edia. Thereby, strong discontinuities are considered as the final failure m echanism within localization problems. The failure kinematics are governed by the jumps in the solid displacement and the excess pore pressure gradien t along the discontinuity. In the finite element discretization an interfac e element is endowed with these kinematics. As a consequence, the interface stiffness is dominated by the weighted localization tensor associated with the solid and the corresponding scalar valued contraction of the permeabil ity tensor with the discontinuity normal. Finally, the proposed strategy is conceptionally highlighted by a qualitative computational example. Copyrig ht (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.