Visualization of the formation and features of soil arching within a piled embankment by discrete element method simulation

• Published in: Journal of Zhejiang University. A. Science Vol. 17; no. 10; pp. 803 - 817
• Main Authors: Lai, Han-jiang, Zheng, Jun-jie, Zhang, Rong-jun, Cui, Ming-juan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hangzhou Zhejiang University Press 01.10.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: arching; Civil Engineering; Classical and Continuum Physics; Coefficient of friction; DEM; Discrete; Discrete element method; element; embankment; Embankments; Engineering; Features; Formation; Friction; Geosynthetics; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; method; Numerical; Piled; Railway engineering; Shear planes; simulation; Soil; Soil formation; Soils; Subsoils; Soil arching; 形成; 形态特征; 离散元法; Piled embankment; Numerical simulation; Discrete element method (DEM); Features; 数值模拟; Formation; 桩承式路堤; 土拱结构
• ISSN: 1673-565X; 1862-1775
• DOI: 10.1631/jzus.a1500302

Piled embankments are widely used in highway and railway engineering due to their economy and efficiency inovercoming several issues encountered in constructing embankments over weak soils. Soil arching, caused by the pile-subsoilrelative displacement （△s）, plays an important role in reducing the embankment load falling on weak soil, however, the funda-mental characteristics （e.g., formation and features） of soil arching remain poorly understood. In this study, a series of discreteelement method （DEM） modellings are performed to study the formation and features of soil arching with the variation of As inpiled embankments with or without geosynthetic reinforcement. Firstly, calibration for the modelling parameters is carried out bycomparing the DEM results with the experimental data obtained from the existing literature. Secondly, the analysis of the macro-and micro-behaviours is performed in detail. Finally, a parametric study is conducted in an effort to identify the influences of threekey factors on soil arching： the friction coefficient of the embankment fill （f）, the embankment height （h）, and the pile clear spacing（s-a）. Numerical results indicate that △s is a key factor governing the formation and features of soil arching in embankments. Tobe specific, soil arching gradually evolves from two inclined shear planes at a small △s to a hemispherical arch at a relatively largeAs. Then, with a continuous increase in △s, the soil arching height gradually increases and finally approaches a constant value of0.8（s-a） （i.e., the maximum soil arching height）. For a given case, the higher the soil arching height, the greater the degree of soilarching effect. The parametric study shows that the friction coefficient of the embankment fill has a negligible influence on theformation and features of soil arching. However, embankment height is a key factor governing the formation and features of soilarching. In addition, pile clear spacing has a significant effect on the formation of soil arching, but not on its features.