Soil Particle Modeling and Parameter Calibration Based on Discrete Element Method

Abstract

In order to establish a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model of soil particles, the soil in the laboratory soil bin was used as the research object. The soil texture was determined to be sandy loam by sieving, and the shape of the soil particles was analyzed by an image particle analyzer to establish a geometric model of the soil particles. The Edinburgh Elasto-Plastic Adhesion (EEPA) model was chosen as the contact model for the soil particle simulation analysis, and the accuracy of the model selection was determined by texture tests. The parameters in the contact model played a crucial role in the results of the simulation. Test methods were used to obtain parameters for the soil particles that were easy to measure. For parameters that could not be measured in the contact model, a direct shear test was used as the calibration test, and after screening the sensitive parameters using the PB test, the response surface method was used to calibrate the sensitive parameters. The accuracy of the calibration results was verified by comparing the simulation and test results of the direct shear test under different loadings.