Simulation of Triaxial Tests for Unsaturated Soils under a Tension–Shear State by the Discrete Element Method

Guoqing Cai, Jian Li, Shaopeng Liu, Jiguang Li, Bowen Han, Xuzhen He and Chenggang Zhao
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Guoqing Cai: Key Laboratory of Urban Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Jian Li: Key Laboratory of Urban Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Shaopeng Liu: CCCC Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., Beijing 100088, China
Jiguang Li: Fujian Academy of Building Research, Fuzhou 350025, China
Bowen Han: School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Xuzhen He: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, Australia
Chenggang Zhao: Key Laboratory of Urban Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: In this paper, the discrete element method is used to simulate triaxial tests of unsaturated soil under a tension–shear state. A relationship between water content and uniaxial tensile strength with different void ratios is obtained, which is applied to uniaxial tensile discrete element simulations to establish a relationship between grain-scale parameters and water content from back analysis. A group of triaxial simulations for unsaturated soil under a tension–shear state is then conducted. The discrete element method is used to obtain the relationship between deviatoric stress and axial displacement with different water contents, and also to reveal the effects of water content on peak strength and dilatancy phenomena with different confining pressures. The displacement fields of numerical specimen are analyzed qualitatively, and the mechanism and process of failure are discussed from the prospective of energy and dissipation.

Keywords: unsaturated soil; discrete element method; triaxial tensile–shear; tensile–shear strength (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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