Microstructure evolution of granular soils in cyclic mobility and post-liquefaction process

Understanding the evolution of microstructure in granular soils can provide significant insights into constitutive modeling of soil liquefaction. In this study, micromechanical perspectives of the liquefaction process are investigated using the Discrete Element simulation. It is observed that during various stages of undrained cyclic loading, the soil exhibits definitive change in the load-bearing structure, indicated by evolution of the coordination number and non-affine displacements. A new particle-void fabric, termed as “centroid distance”, is also proposed to quantify the evolution of particles and voids distribution in the granular packing. The fabric index is found to have strong correlation with cyclic mobility and post-liquefaction deformation of granular soils. Evolution of the fabric index indicates that particles and voids redistribute irreversibly before and after liquefaction. A highly anisotropic particle-void structure and loading-bearing capacity can be formed in the post liquefaction stage.