Options
Akronym
CUS
Projekt Titel
Coupled hydromechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils via LBM-DEM simulations: analysis of effective stresses due to capillary bridges and moving particles
Förderkennzeichen
GR 1024/68-1
Funding code
945.3-1095
Startdatum
April 1, 2025
Enddatum
March 31, 2028
Gepris ID
Loading...
Although most soils exist in the unsaturated state, usually the geotechnical calculations are done considering the saturated state, which means that the air in the pore space is neglected and thus also the capillary forces between the grains. In geotechnical engineering, the capillary cohesion is usually not considered because of two factors: it is difficult to calculate it and also to assure that the water content of the soil will stay constant. In order to enhance design tools and allow simulation of soils by a computer, numerical methods are employed. This research proposal intends to further develop a numerical method that is able to simulate those unsaturated soils in the particle and meso-scale at its first part. This tool will be able to resolve multiphase flow in granular media using the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and track grain movement using Discrete Element Method (DEM). By observing the momentum exchange between all three phases, it is possible to observe what follows from it. The main objective of this research is to numerically visualize the hydromechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils. The mentioned numerical tool allows further investigations of how effective stresses and consequently stiffness and shear strength develop in unsaturated media, and how soil properties and grain movement influence this behaviour. Multiple numerical simulations will be carried out while varying soil parameters and grain characteristics in order to observe their influence on effective stresses and shear strength.