Dynamic Response of Unsaturated Granular Soil Deposits: A Micro-Mechanical Study

A micro-mechanical study of the sedimentation process and dynamic response of unsaturated granular soils is presented in this paper. The discrete element method was used to idealize the granular soil skeleton. Suction forces were used to model the effects of interparticle water bridges in pendular state. Periodic boundaries and a high gravitational field were used to achieve a realistic simulation of a soil deposit with a computationally manageable number of particles. Numerical simulations were performed to investigate the impact of moisture content on the sedimentation and dynamic response of level ground deposits of unsaturated soils. The outcome of conducted simulations provided a valuable insight into the response mechanisms of these soils.