Effect of Anisotropic Consolidation on Cyclic Liquefaction Resistance of Granular Materials via 3D-DEM Modeling

Abstract

The influence of anisotropic consolidation on the cyclic liquefaction resistance of granular materials is explored using 3D discrete element method simulations. In this study, the term anisotropic consolidation was defined as the ratio of initial horizontal and vertical normal stresses, and the hypothesis was that the conflicting results from previous laboratory experiments could be attributed to differences in inherent fabric. To test this hypothesis, three unique sample preparation protocols were employed to construct polydisperse spherical particle samples with varying inherent fabrics, as quantified by coordination number and contact-normal fabric anisotropy, under consistent initial mean stress and density conditions. The results were intriguing, as they revealed that anisotropic consolidation had a consistent impact on the cyclic liquefaction resistance of loose and medium-dense samples, regardless of preparation protocol. However, this relationship was not as straightforward in dense samples. In addition, the study assessed the correlations between various parameters, including initial shear wave velocity, state parameters associated with both void ratio and coordination number, fabric anisotropy, and their impact on the cyclic liquefaction resistance of the samples. The findings enhance the understanding of the intricate interplay between anisotropic consolidation and the resistance of granular materials to cyclic liquefaction, providing valuable insights that can inform the development of accurate models for predicting and mitigating cyclic liquefaction in various applications.