A 3D DEM-LBM approach for the assessment of the quick condition for sands

Abstract

We present a 3D numerical model to assess the quick condition (the onset of the boiling phenomenon) in a saturated polydisperse granular material. We use the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to study the evolution of the vertical intergranular stress in a granular sample subjected to an increasing hydraulic gradient. The hydrodynamic forces on the grains of the sample are computed using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). The principal assumption used is that grains remain at rest until the boiling onset. We show that the obtained critical hydraulic gradient is close to that defined in classical soil mechanics.