Macro and micro analysis on coal-bearing soil slopes instability based on CFD-DEM coupling method

Abstract

By combining the discrete element method (DEM) with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), this study proposes a three-dimensional CFD–DEM fluid–solid coupling microscopic computational model for analyzing the micromechanisms of instability and failure in a coal-bearing soil slope during rainfall. The CFD–DEM fluid–solid coupling model indicated that the main failure mode of the coal-bearing soil slopes was rainwater washing, and the slope sliding surface was predicted as an approximately linear segment. The adaptability of this numerical method was verified by comparing its results with those of rain-washed slopes in an outdoor model test. Rainfall changed the microscopic parameters such as the force chain, coordination number, and porosity of the slope soil particles. The porosity of the slope’s top particles increased from 0.35 in the initial state to 0.80 in the unstable state. This change was directly related to the macroscopic mechanics of the slope soil. By analyzing the changes in the microscopic parameters of the particles, the failure evolution law of the coal-bearing soil slopes during rainfall was explored from a microscopic perspective. This study not only provides a theoretical basis for the protection design and construction of coal-bearing soil slopes in the region but can also analyze macroscopic mechanical laws of discrete media from a micro–macro perspective in geotechnical engineering.