Discrete Element Method research advances soil mechanics modeling

Research in civil engineering is advancing the use of Discrete Element Method (DEM) to model the behavior of various soil types.

One study focused on cohesive soils, specifically clay, to develop reliable landslide models for earth fill dams. By using a linear parallel-bond model to calibrate microparameters such as particle stiffness, friction, bond stiffness, and bond strength, researchers achieved high agreement between simulated and actual undrained consolidated triaxial test results. The findings indicated that bond stiffness and strength primarily dictate peak stress behavior, while particle stiffness and friction influence critical-state stress behavior.

Another investigation utilized DEM to study granular soil mechanics, specifically examining critical state behavior and the dynamic response of driven piles in sand. Through simulations of direct shear and triaxial tests, researchers observed that granular soils converge to a unique critical state line regardless of initial density or loading path. Additionally, a three-dimensional framework was developed to model dynamic pile driving in layered sand deposits, successfully reproducing wave propagation along piles.