Numerical application of Plasticity to Geomechanics is an area of research that has grown rapidly since its origins in the late 1960s. This growth led to new methodologies and analysis approaches that are nowadays commonly employed in Geotechnical Engineering practice. Through the contribution of well-known scholars this book intends to provide an updated overview of some relevant developments and applications in this field. The topics covered in the various chapters of the volume can be summarised as follows: constitutive models for geomaterials, "damage" soil mechanics, non-linear consolidation, swelling soils, influence of the statistical variability of soil properties on the stability of slopes and foundations, numerical analysis of ground improvement techniques, tunneling problems.

The solution of stress analysis problems through numerical, computer oriented techniques is becoming more and more popular in soil and rock engineering. This is due to the ability of these methods to handle geometrically complex problems even in the presence of highly nonlinear material behaviour, characterizing the majority of soils and rocks, and of media consisting of two or more phases, like saturated and partially saturated soils. Aim of this book is to present to researchers and engineers working in the various branches of geomechanics an updated state of the research on the development and application of numerical methods in geotechnical and foundation engineering. Particular attention is devoted to the formulation of nonlinear material models and to their use for the analysis of complex engineering problems. In addition to the constitutive modelling, other topics discussed concern the use of the finite element and boundary element methods in geomechanics; the dynamic analysis of inelastic and saturated soils; the solution of seepage, consolidation and coupled problems; the analysis of soil-structure interaction problems; the numerical procedures for the interpretation of field measurements; the analysis of tunnels and underground openings.