On preconditioning strategies for geotechnics

Iterative solvers are of increasing interest in geomechanics with the move towards 3D finite element modelling. Potentially, these methods can lead to reduced computational complexity as, unlike direct methods, they do not require the full system matrix to be assembled. In general, however, iterative solvers have not been widely adopted in geomechanics due to problems with convergence. This paper reviews the background to iterative methods for elastic and elasto-plastic material models. In some cases, existing numerical methods can be taken from research in the mathematics community. For other systems, further work is needed. The paper provides demonstrations of the capabilities of some strategies.