DEM investigation into the coupling effects of particle asphericity and interface roughness on shear behaviour of soil-structure interface--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Su, D., Wu, D., Fan, M., Zhang, R., Chen, J., Xiong, H., & Chen, X. (2025). DEM investigation into the coupling effects of particle asphericity and interface roughness on shear behaviour of soil-structure interface. Particuology, 97, 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2024.11.019

DEM investigation into the coupling effects of particle asphericity and interface roughness on shear behaviour of soil-structure interface

Dong Su^{a b c d}, Dongzhan Wu^{a b c d}, Meng Fan^{a b c d *}, Runqi Zhang^{a b c d}, Jianhang Chen^{a b c d}, Hao Xiong^{a b c d}, Xiangsheng Chen^{a b c d}

a State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Geotechnics and Tunnelling (Shenzhen University), Shenzhen, 518060, China
b Key Laboratory of Coastal Urban Resilient Infrastructures (Shenzhen University), Ministry of Education, Shenzhen, 518060, China
c College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
d National Engineering Research Center of Deep Shaft Construction, Shenzhen, 518060, China

10.1016/j.partic.2024.11.019

Volume 97, February 2025, Pages 39-57

Received 16 June 2024, Revised 22 October 2024, Accepted 25 November 2024, Available online 13 December 2024, Version of Record 7 January 2025.

E-mail: ltfmfm@126.com

Highlights

• Superballs are adopted to characterize the effects of particle asphericity.

• Regular sawtooth patterns are used to represent the effects of interface roughness.

• Coupling effects of particle asphericity and interface roughness are revealed.

• Two coupling effects are identified, namely single-factor dominance and double-factor interaction.

Abstract

Soil-structure interfaces (SSI) are common in geotechnical structures, and understanding their shear behavior is essential for effective design. However, the coupling effects of particle shape and interface roughness on SSI remain understudied. This study addresses this gap by employing five types of super-ellipsoid particles with varying asphericity (η) values to model non-spherical particles. Interface shear tests with different roughness levels (R_n) were conducted using Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations. The results show that both η and R_n significantly influence shear strength, localized shear band thickness, and soil fabric, with two types of coupling effects: single-factor dominance and double-factor interaction. The influence on coordination number (C_n) and probability distribution of normalized contact force is more straightforward. Specifically, non-spherical particles exhibit a higher initial C_n due to enhanced interlocking, while R_n has a lesser impact. The normalized contact force at the interface follows an exponential distribution, similar to pure soil, and is largely independent of η and R_n. Notably, the shear zone is divided into three equal parts for soil fabric analysis. These findings offer new insights into SSI, contributing to more effective and safer geotechnical designs.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Soil-structure interface; Particle asphericity; Interface roughness; Coupling effect; Shear behavior

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