Liquefaction of saturated loose and cemented granular soils

A coupled continuum-discrete hydromechanical model was utilized to analyze the liquefaction of saturated granular soils in loose and cemented deposits. The pore fluid motion was idealized using averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the discrete element method was employed to model the granular particles. Parallel bonds were used to idealize the effects of inter-particle cementation. Well established semi-empirical relationships were utilized to quantify the fluid-particle interactions. Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the response of saturated granular deposits when subjected to a dynamic base excitation. The outcome of these simulations was consistent with experimental observations, and revealed a number of salient micro-mechanical mechanisms associated with soil liquefaction and the impact of cementation. The employed continuum-discrete hydromechanical model provides an effective tool to assess the intricate micro-mechanical response mechanism of saturated loose and cemented soils.