Abstract : We herein present a recent micromechanical approach combining analytical homogenization with Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations for a better understanding of the mechanical behaviour of granular soils in an intermediate state of water saturation. Analytical homogenization first leads to a so-called µUNSAT general expression for the macroscopic stress state, starting from micro-scale internal forces. The µUNSAT equations involve surface tension in addition to capillary pressure, and show a tensorial nature in accordance with preferential directions for the internal forces at the micro-scale. A DEM approach then enables one to access all stress quantities in the specific case of ideal wet granular materials. The results discuss the stress-strain-strength effective nature of the contact stresses stemming from contact forces, as well as the tensorial, anisotropic, character of fluid-induced capillary stresses.
J. Duriez, S. Duverger, R. Wan. A micromechanical, µunsat, approach for wet granular soils. DEM8 8th International Conference On Discrete Element Methods, Jul 2019, Twente, Netherlands. ⟨hal-02609633⟩