DEM simulation of liquefaction for cohesionless media at grain scale

Simulations of undrained tests were performed in a periodic cell using three dimensional (3D) discrete element method (DEM) program TRUBAL. The effective undrained stress paths are shown to be qualitatively similar to published physical experimental results of cohesionless media such as sand. Liquefaction and temporary liquefaction are observed for very loose samples and medium loose samples, respectively. A new micromechanical parameter is proposed to identify whether liquefaction or temporary liquefaction occurs in terms of a redundancy factor. The relationship of redundancy factor and average coordination number is derived theoretically. It is demonstrated that the phase transition dividing the solid-like behaviour and liquid-like behaviour is associated with a redundancy factor of 1, which corresponds to an average coordination number slightly above 4.