Maxwell Damping: An Alternative to Rayleigh Damping in Seismic Analysis

Maxwell damping was introduced as a new feature in ITASCA Software Version 9 for FLAC3D, FLAC2D, and 3DEC. It is a more frequency-independent form of damping for time-domain analyses. It eliminates the three major issues associated with Rayleigh damping:

• Offers frequency independence over a much wider range,
• Does not significantly reduce the numerical time step, and
• Avoids the generation of unphysical body forces.

FLAC3D models using Maxwell damping, for example, can be 10-200 times faster, and as accurate, than those models using Rayleigh damping. With Maxwell damping, large, 3D site responses and soil-structure interaction become practical to analyze.

This webinar was presented by Ethan Dawson (US Army Corps of Engineers) and Zhāo Chéng (ITASCA) on September 24, 2024.

🔍 Highlights:

• Maxwell damping formulation, verification, and validation
• Calibration tool (spreadsheet)
• Applications, including site responses and soil-structure interactions
• Merits and drawbacks will also be discussed

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