A novel approach for simulation of soil-tool interaction based on an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian description

Simulation of soil-tool interaction is a challenging task due to the large deformation of soil around the tool, the unconstrained deformation of the free soil surface and the dynamic soil-tool interaction behavior at the interface. In this paper, a novel approach based on an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian finite element (ALE-FE) formulation is used for simulating the soil-blade interaction. Problems associated with severe mesh distortions in a Lagrangian description and those associated with deformable material boundaries in an Eulerian description can be solved by this formulation. By introducing the Eulerian boundaries, the cutting action is simulated as the flow of soil against a stationary blade. No element deletion is needed in ALE-FE method and thus the complete contact surface of soil is retained. The extended Drucker-Prager constitutive law is used to simulate the mechanical behavior of soil. Results indicate that the ALE-FE approach is a useful tool in investigating soil-tool interaction and it is especially suitable for cases where large plastic deformation of soil occurs. Simulations under different cutting conditions demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed ALE-FE method. The influences of cutting angle and depth on cutting are also investigated. The failure angle, soil deformation and draft force predicted by ALE-FE model are in good agreement with the published experimental data.