Discrete element method for the characterization of soil properties in Plate-Sinkage tests

The Discrete element method (DEM) is used for solving microscopic mechanical behaviors of granular materials and has the advantage of being able to analyze the wheel-soil interactions on the off-road ground because soil deformation under a moving wheel is a discontinuous, non-uniform and nonlinear phenomenon. However, a challenge for applying DEM to the soil analysis is that determination of DEM parameters is not rooted in a clear understanding of relationships between the DEM parameters and soil conditions. This study modeled the plate-sinkage test based on DEM and produced the soil characteristic properties of the virtual soils to reveal effects of the DEM parameters on the vertical bearing capacity of the soil. A nominal model of the plate-sinkage test was developed with a chosen set of the DEM parameters, and its model results were compared with experimental data of actual Jumunjin sand. Also, parametric studies were conducted on particle density, Young’s modulus, friction coefficient and rolling friction coefficient.

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