Distinct Element Simulations of Shear Rupture in Dilatant Granular Media
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18, Issue 9
Abstract
The development of shear rupture in granular media due to boundary deformation was captured using the distinct element method (DEM). Assemblages of nonspherical, three-dimensional particles undergoing direct shear test simulations exhibited a range of soil responses, from highly contractive to highly dilative depending on their initial void ratio as well as the applied normal stress. Arched structures of strong contact forces that are consistent with the stress-arching phenomenon developed during anchor pull-out and trapdoor simulations. Earthquake fault rupture propagation through soil varied systematically for reverse and normal faults dipping at various angles. The final shapes of the shear rupture surfaces were consistent with those expected based on a model developed through sandbox experiments. Key details of the shear rupture mechanisms during surface fault rupture were elucidated through examination of particle rotations, frictional dissipation, shear strains, volumetric strains, and contact forces. The mechanism of graben formation was shown through the reduction of the magnitude of the contact forces at the top of the soil arch that formed above the bedrock fault. DEM simulations provided useful insights into boundary deformation problems.
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Acknowledgments
This material was based upon research supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant DGE 1106400. All opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Additional support was provided by the Faculty Chair in Earthquake Engineering Excellence in the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. The authors would like to thank Dr. David Potyondy and Dr. Varun of Itasca Consulting Group for their mentorship and advice through the Itasca Education Partnership. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Catherine O’Sullivan of Imperial College London for sharing her strain homogenization code.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18 • Issue 9 • September 2018
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 14, 2017
Accepted: Mar 16, 2018
Published online: Jul 11, 2018
Published in print: Sep 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Dec 11, 2018
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