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Laboratory Model Testing and DEM Simulation of Bearing Capacity and Localized Deformation in Uniformly Graded Sand
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Geotechnical Engineering
DOI: 10.64388/ire1724792
Abstract
Ground bearing capacity and localized deformation beneath shallow foundations remain important problems in geotechnical engineering. This study examines a rigid rectangular footing (70 mm × 50 mm) on dry, uniformly graded sand (d50 = 3.0 mm; Cu = 1.3; Cc = 1.0) using a laboratory model test, DIC-assisted imaging, and DEM simulations with single-sphere and four-sphere clumped particles. The selected experimental bearing pressure was 561.00 kPa at 20.62 mm settlement, based on the maximum-curvature criterion, equivalent to 29.5% of the 70-mm footing dimension. Visible deformation zones were estimated to orient at 44.33° and 48.80° on the left and right; these are approximate image-based directions, not theoretical slip-surface angles. The DEM simulations gave ultimate pressures of 445.57 kPa (single sphere) and 527.87 kPa (clump), 20.58% and 5.91% below the experimental value, respectively. Since the two DEM representations were calibrated separately and used different material/contact parameters, the closer clump-model agreement cannot be attributed to particle shape alone and is not an independent validation. The results are model-scale observations affected by the container boundaries and should not be directly extrapolated to full-scale design.
Keywords
bearing capacity; clumped particles; discrete element method; digital image correlation; uniformly graded sand
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1724792,
author = {Mustapha Zakariya’u Lawal, Kong Fah Tee},
title = {Laboratory Model Testing and DEM Simulation of Bearing Capacity and Localized Deformation in Uniformly Graded Sand},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {5},
pages = {990-1005},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1724792.pdf},
abstract = {Ground bearing capacity and localized deformation beneath shallow foundations remain important problems in geotechnical engineering. This study examines a rigid rectangular footing (70 mm × 50 mm) on dry, uniformly graded sand (d50 = 3.0 mm; Cu = 1.3; Cc = 1.0) using a laboratory model test, DIC-assisted imaging, and DEM simulations with single-sphere and four-sphere clumped particles. The selected experimental bearing pressure was 561.00 kPa at 20.62 mm settlement, based on the maximum-curvature criterion, equivalent to 29.5% of the 70-mm footing dimension. Visible deformation zones were estimated to orient at 44.33° and 48.80° on the left and right; these are approximate image-based directions, not theoretical slip-surface angles. The DEM simulations gave ultimate pressures of 445.57 kPa (single sphere) and 527.87 kPa (clump), 20.58% and 5.91% below the experimental value, respectively. Since the two DEM representations were calibrated separately and used different material/contact parameters, the closer clump-model agreement cannot be attributed to particle shape alone and is not an independent validation. The results are model-scale observations affected by the container boundaries and should not be directly extrapolated to full-scale design.},
keywords = {bearing capacity; clumped particles; discrete element method; digital image correlation; uniformly graded sand},
month = {November},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/ire1724792}
}