Reuniting Micro And Macro Mechanics In Sands: A Systematic Approach

Soil behaviour is complex due to their particulate nature and natural origins. There are many factors to consider, such as pressure, density, particle breakage, thermo-chemical effects, so that the engineer necessarily has to select which are important for the design, with the high likelihood of making the wrong choice. For coarser grained soils such as sands, particulate methods, which model the sand as an assembly of grains rather than a continuum, are increasingly popular. Research on micromechanics has become very sophisticated, but it rarely provides the complete connected thread from the particle characterisation, through the micromechanics to the macroscopic behaviour, and the micro-macro link is tenuous. This project will tackle the long-existing research aim of linking micro to macro in a more systematic manner, using experimental and numerical approaches, for in-depth investigations of sand grain characteristics, contact mechanics and real contact area, macro-behaviour and macro-fabric, and the link between micro and macro.