Mechanical behaviour of Hai Duong Medium Sand in Triaxial Test and its DEM Simulations

Abstract

This paper presents mechanical characteristics of Hai Duong medium sand – sampled from Chi Linh, Hai Duong – obtained from some laboratory tests. This sand is a typical constructional soil material and widely used in Northern Provinces of Vietnam. Specimens, obtained from compaction tests, were remoulded with dry unit weight of 95% of maximum dry unit weight. The drained triaxial compression tests on these dense sand specimens were performed under different confining pressures. Numerical simulations of the triaxial tests were carried out using the three dimensional particle flow code (PFC3D) with a non-linear contact model. Numerical results were directly compared with the corresponding laboratory test results. The simulations show, that the particle based code PFC3D is able to capture the mechanical behaviour of medium dense sand. Peak strength and stiffness of the sand specimens were well reproduced by the use of spheres with a simple rolling resistance model. The simulations also reveal the influence of the microscopic parameters of the model on the macroscopic behaviour of the sand.