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Learning and Support

ParaGeo is a sophisticated code that can be used for a diverse set of geological applications with different features. Consequently, it has a wide range of functionality that may be invoked for any problem via the definition of data structures and the corresponding keywords. The ParaGeo user manual uses a powerful HTML-based user interface with efficient search procedures.  The manual is designed to help users to both define their input data files and to enable familiarisation with the available data structures and keywords and their usage. Our goal is to provide the user documentation of the best possible quality, with all the required information to understand ParaGeo usage and its applications including scientific theory described in the most straightforward and concise possible manner. To this end the manual is organized in several interactive sections and chapters with expandable/collapsible content so that the user can easily navigate the content. The key sections are:

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  • An overview of ParaGeo and its main applications

  • Installation instructions

  • Instructions on how to launch a simulation

  • ParaGeo reference manual pages documenting syntax for data structures and their corresponding keywords as well as the expected/valid inputs (e.g. character names, integers, etc)

  • Scientific theory overview for selected topics

  • ParaGeo tutorials documenting examples that demonstrate usage of data structures and their corresponding keywords in different applications.

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There are several classes of tutorials with different learning targets and different levels of complexity; i.e:​​

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  • Simple cases targeting demonstration of usage of specific functionality

  • Cases documenting complete workflows (e.g. MEM workflow, geological modelling workflow encompassing restoration and forward simulation, inverse analysis workflow, etc)

  • Validation cases comparing ParaGeo solution to either analytical solutions or known reference solutions

  • Tutorials on importing data Gmsh, FracMan, Abaqus, Zmap and post-processing using ParaView

View of the ParaGeo user manual

The tutorial examples demonstrate the application of all ParaGeo functionalities. The tutorials are organized by topic so that the user can easily find what he/she needs (e.g. mechanical analysis, coupling, contact, restoration, etc). Recommendations on tutorial examples to undertake on a specific topic are also provided. All tutorials contain:

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  • Introduction with description of the problem being solved and description of the objectives

  • Overall description of the data file for quick reference

  • Detailed description and comments on the data structures and keywords used in the data file

  • Results section with discussion

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In most tutorials several cases considering variations relative to the base case are described in order to facilitate a deeper understanding of the functionalities used, other available options and the physics behind the problem being solved. 

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The tutorial validation cases are ParaGeo models for examples for which the analytical solution is known or there is a reference solution in the bibliography (e.g. the Terzaghi consolidation example,  Mandel's cylinder with instantaneous pore pressure and stress loads example, etc). Also several known benchmarks examples are solved using the different element formulations available in ParaGeo.

View of tutorial examples in ParaGeo user manual

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