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Recent Development on Macro–Micro Mechanism of Soil-Structure Interface Shearing Through DEM

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Abstract

The emergence of the discrete element method (DEM) provides a powerful tool to investigate the macro–micro mechanism of soil-structure interface (SSI). Understanding the macro–micro mechanism is an important step to develop a reliable and accurate constitutive model for the interface design. In the present study, a systematic review gave the recent development with respect to the macro–micro mechanism of SSI through DEM. The summary of global macro deformation and strength behavior using DEM was followed by the introduction of DEM, including the general concept and the previous studies regarding the interface shear test DEM simulation. Special attention was paid to the thickness of the shear localization zone, interface shearing behavior inside the localized band, and its correlation with macro interface shearing behavior. Moreover, the behavior at inter-particle contacts was reviewed from the aspects of coordination number and void ratio, soil fabric and contact force chain, and stress–force–fabric relationship.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the financial support from The Science and Technology Development Fund, Macau SAR (SKL-IOTSC-2021-2023), The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52022001), Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province (Granted No. 2021A0505080009), The Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong (GRF project No. 15217220) and The Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) of China (Grant No.: 15217220, N_PolyU534/20).

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  1. College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Wei-Bin Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Macau, Macau, People’s Republic of China

    Wan-Huan Zhou

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

    Zhen-Yu Yin

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  1. Wei-Bin Chen
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Chen, WB., Zhou, WH. & Yin, ZY. Recent Development on Macro–Micro Mechanism of Soil-Structure Interface Shearing Through DEM. Arch Computat Methods Eng 30, 1843–1862 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11831-022-09854-0

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