Novel Undrained Servomechanism in Discrete-Element Modeling and Its Application in Multidirectional Cyclic Shearing Simulations
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 147, Issue 3
Abstract
Multidirectional shearing of granular soils involves shearing more than one shear stress component, and thus may result in more-complex soil responses than unidirectional shearing. This study developed an advanced numerical procedure that can impose an arbitrary loading path on a granular assembly in three-dimensional space as a basis for discrete-element simulations to investigate the behavior of granular assemblies under undrained cyclic multidirectional shearing conditions. The tests included varying stress trajectories on the deviatoric stress plane, including straight-line, circular, figure-8, and teardrop shapes. The numerical results indicated that the liquefaction resistance of a sample for a given cyclic shear stress ratio (CSR) depends on the stress orbits, and that of the teardrop shape was the highest and that of the figure-8 shape was the lowest. The microstructure of the granular assembly was quantified by the contact-normal-based fabric tensor, and its evolution trend correlation with stress–strain responses was explored. The evolution of fabric and stress–strain relationships from discrete-element modeling under multidirectional shearing conditions can provide useful insights into the behavior of granular soils.
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Data Availability Statement
The codes for implementing the undrained servomechanism and data of discrete-element simulations in this study are available upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 51825803 and 52020105003, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant Nos. 2020QNA4028 and 52020105003, and the Science and Technology Project of Communication of Zhejiang Province under Grant No. 2019058.
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Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 147 • Issue 3 • March 2021
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 2, 2020
Accepted: Oct 26, 2020
Published online: Dec 31, 2020
Published in print: Mar 1, 2021
Discussion open until: May 31, 2021
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