Towards Realistic Simulation of Penetration Tests and Instability Analysis of Sand: A Micromechanical Perspective
Abstract
In this series of studies, the capability of Discrete Element Method (DEM) to simulate the behavior of granular materials has been examined. In the first study, various boundary conditions are simulated through a series of DEM-based miniature calibration chamber tests to investigate the influence of boundary conditions on cone tip (qc) and sleeve frictional (fs) resistances. The second study focuses on the influence of microparameters such as state, modulus, rolling resistance, inter-particle friction, and probe properties on CPT measurements in a centrifuge setting. DEM has been used in the last study to investigate the instability of granular materials under drained and undrained failure conditions. 3D assemblies of the stacked-ring simple shear device were modeled to simulate monotonic constant volume, constant stress, and drained constant shear stress paths. Overall, DEM can successfully capture the instability and large deformation behavior of granular materials.