Coupled DEM-SPH Modeling of Saturated Sand

DEM (Discrete Element Method) is a particle-based method for modeling the granular materials. SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) is also a particle-based method to analyze fluids using a limited number of integration points. In this study by coupling both DEM and SPH methods, a novel DEM-SPH model was developed to simulate saturated granular media such as saturated sand. The particles were modeled using DEM and the inter-particle fluid was simulated using SPH. The fluid flow and the particle-fluid interactions were included in the model. The model was validated by comparing the numerical results to experimental data. The evolution of the fluid pressure distribution was investigated. The results showed that the model could satisfactorily predict the undrained behavior of the saturated granular materials and capture the local parameters of the inter-particle fluid e.g. the local variations of the fluid pressure.The results showed that the model could satisfactorily predict the undrained behavior of the saturated granular materials and capture the local parameters of the inter-particle fluid e.g. the local variations of the fluid pressure.