There is increasing interest in the use of iterative rather than direct solvers for geotechnical finite element analysis. For large 3D problems iterative solvers offer the only possibility of economical solution on a desktop PC. The major stumbling block with iterative solvers is ensuring fast convergence to a suitably accurate solution. The system of equations is always “preconditioned” to imp...

Compacted unbound granular materials are extensively used as sub-layer in pavement design. Most pavement design guides assume that they are responsible for the degradation and deformation of the roads and railways that they support. Biaxial tests are usually employed to investigate the elasto-plastic response of these materials to cyclic loading. A particularly interesting question is whether a...