A fracture-based discrete model for simulating creep in quartz sands

Creep of granular soils is frequently accompanied by grain breakage. Stress corrosion driven grain breakage offers a micromechanically based explanation for granular creep. This study incorporates that concept into a new model based on the discrete element method (DEM) to simulate creep in sands. Th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lei, Jiangtao|||0000-0001-9458-725X, Arroyo Álvarez de Toledo, Marcos|||0000-0001-9384-9107, Ciantia, Matteo Oryem|||0000-0003-1897-4471, Zhang, Ningning
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/413396
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/413396
https://dx.doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.23.00068
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Soil mechanics
Cracks & cracking
Creep
Discrete-element modelling
Particle crushing
Time dependence
Mecànica dels sòls
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Geotècnia::Mecànica de sòls
Descripción
Sumario:Creep of granular soils is frequently accompanied by grain breakage. Stress corrosion driven grain breakage offers a micromechanically based explanation for granular creep. This study incorporates that concept into a new model based on the discrete element method (DEM) to simulate creep in sands. The model aims for conceptual simplicity, computational efficiency and ease of calibration. To this end a new form of normalized Charles power law is incorporated into a DEM model for rough-crushable sands based on the particle splitting technique. The model is implemented using a controlled on-off computational strategy. The model is validated by simulating creep in quartz sands in oedometric and triaxial conditions. Model predictions are shown to compare favourably with experimental results in terms of creep strain, creep strain rates and particle breakage. The model proposed would facilitate the calibration of phenomenological continuum models, but may be also useful to directly investigate structural scale phenomena, such as pile ageing.