A simple multiscale model for granular soils with geosynthetic inclusion

Abstract

Due to the heterogeneity and anisotropy caused by geosynthetic inclusions, the design of geosynthetic-reinforced geostructures has been largely empirically-based. The presence of geosynthetic reinforcement complicates the stress history and fabric characteristics of the reinforced soil, posing an obstacle to the development of constitutive models for geosynthetic-reinforced soils. To circumvent this difficulty, we employ a simple multiscale model based on a coupled FEM/DEM approach. The displacement in granular soil domain is solved in the hierarchical multiscale framework, while the geosynthetic inclusion that prescribes the boundary conditions are modeled concurrently by discrete bar elements. The responses of both multiscale domains are communicated and updated in an explicit time integration scheme. The main objective in this work is to extend the existing multiscale framework for modeling soil-geosynthetic interactions. The predicative capacity of this model is examined in two numerical examples, i.e., shape-forming and pull-out tests. The multiscale characters of the response of geosyntheticreinforced soil facilitate a better understanding of the reinforcement mechanisms.