On The Performance OF The "6-3" Element In Consolidation Analysis (Dept.C)

The "6-3" triangular element has been widely used in consolidation analysis because it was the first one to be introduced and gave satisfactory results in most cases. Yet, it has a directional bias as the transient response depends on the orientation of the triangles in the mesb, particularly at the early stages of loading. As the time elapses this defect reduces until almost vanishes by the end of the loading history. The purpose of the present investigation was to illustrate the directional bias of the "6-3" element and provide a solution to this problem by comparing its performance with that of the "8-4" element in solving a problem with known analytical solution. It was found that by averaging the solution of the "6-3" element for non symmetric mesh or by using symmetric mesh, the "6-3" element provides a solution very close to that given by the "8-4" element as well as the analytical solution,