Abstract
In this study, the effects of relative density and confining pressure on the shear characteristics of round gravel are investigated using a large-scale triaxial apparatus and the discrete element method. A simple and efficient numerical method for simulating flexible membranes is introduced. The results show that the stress-strain curves develop from hardened to softened type with increasing relative density, while the stress-strain curves develop from softened to hardened type with increasing confining pressure. As the axial strain increases, the strong contact force chains are vertically distributed, and the larger the relative density and confining pressure, the greater the number and thickness of the strong contact force chains. In the shear process, the distribution of average normal and tangential contact forces show “peanut-shaped” and “petal-shaped”, respectively. The increase in relative density increases the anisotropy of the specimen, while the increase in confining pressure results in a decrease. A linear relationship exists between the macroscopic stress ratio and the anisotropy coefficient. The anisotropy coefficient of the normal contact force provides the greatest contribution to the macroscopic shear strength (about 55%), followed by the anisotropy coefficient of the contact normal (about 26%) and that of the tangential contact force (about 19%).
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial supports from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52268062 and 52108367) and the Guangxi Key Project of Nature Science Foundation (No. 2020GXNSFDA238024) and Key Research and Development Program of Guangxi (GUIKE AB22080061) and Guangxi transportation industry key science and technology projects (GXJT-2020-02-08).
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Ma, S., Huang, H., Tian, F. et al. Discrete Element Simulation of Macro and Micro Mechanical Properties of Round Gravel Material under Triaxial Stress. KSCE J Civ Eng 28, 1675–1689 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-024-0279-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-024-0279-1