Zoned finite strip method and its applications in geomechanics

The technique of Finite Strip method has been extended for zoned strips. One strip can have several different materials in horizontal direction including dummy materials. The new developed zoned Finite Strip (Z.F.S.) method has many engineering applications, particularly in geomechanical problems. The formulation is presented and three different geotechnical problems have been solved using the new Z.F.S. method, which could not be solved by the original Finite Strip method. The results are compared with the solution for the same problems obtained by analytical and/or numerical (Finite Element) methods. The reduced input and output for the Z.F.S. method compared to the Finite Element method makes this method attractive particularly for practising engineers. However the results can be as good as the well known Finite Element method.