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DEM modelling of cone penetration tests in lunar soil

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Abstract

This paper presents numerical investigations of the cone-penetration test (CPT) in lunar soil via a modified 2D Discrete Element Method (DEM). The Van der Waals forces were included in the DEM particle contact model to simulate the cohesive interactions in the lunar environment. In addition, the rolling resistance model was used to account for the high inter-particle friction angle resulted from particle angularity. A series of DEM biaxial tests were performed to investigate the mechanical properties of lunar soil. The obtained results from the DEM biaxial tests indicate that the mechanical behaviour of lunar soil is different from that of terrestrial soil due to the inter-particle cohesive forces and low gravity on the Moon. In tests, the grains near the penetrometer have experienced intense loading and unloading with complex displacement paths. In the meantime, the granular velocity, stress and strain fields were also changed during the penetration process. This study reveals that the lunar soil has relatively small friction and strength when compared with the terrestrial soil.

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Acknowledgements

The work in this paper was financially supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China with Grant Nos. 51890911 and 51639008, and National key Research and Development Program of China with Grant No. 2019YFC0312304, which are sincerely appreciated. In addition, the authors are very thankful to the reviewers for their valuable comments, which have improved the quality of this paper significantly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China

    Mingjing Jiang

  2. Department of Geotechnical Engineering, College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Mingjing Jiang & Xingxing Wang

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Brunel University London, London, UB8 3PH, UK

    Tao Zhao

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Correspondence to Mingjing Jiang.

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Jiang, M., Zhao, T. & Wang, X. DEM modelling of cone penetration tests in lunar soil. Granular Matter 24, 5 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-021-01142-1

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