A Study on Consolidation Settlement for Sand-Drained Ground using Discrete Element Method

In this paper, the consolidation settlement of sand-drained ground is studied by field tests and two dimensional numerical simulations using Discrete Element Method (DEM). The simulated results approximately approach to that of field tests. Not only does the calculated settlement approximate to the surveyed one, but also the simulation settlement curve could well reveal the non-linear property of soil as well as the step phenomenon which can not be reflected by traditional simulation approach. The method of such a certain engineering practical value could provide amounts of referential experiences to analogous research.