The mechanical behaviour of granular materials subjected to large deformations is important in many problems in science and engineering. Problems involving granular materials can cause significant losses in many branches of engineering, such as in energy and environmental geotechnics, chemical process industry, pharmaceutical industry and agriculture. Two examples are: (i) 476 European landslides over the past two decades have caused a total of 1370 deaths and 784 injuries with economic losses of 94 billion Euros and (ii) natural hazards have resulted in 1085 failures of global offshore facilities (with 303 events in Europe) over the past four decades.
Current numerical simulation methods using classical, zeroth-order constitutive relations give results that are dependent on the employed mesh size. This problem can be circumvented by using higher-order constitutive relations. However, current higher-order constitutive relations are heuristic, and thus in many cases the results are still mesh-size dependent. Using an innovative multi-scale approach, the project ICARUS aims to constructively challenge current higher-order continuum theories from a fundamental perspective, namely by consideration of the underlying microstructure, in order to obtain mesh independent solutions.
The overall objectives of ICARUS are to: (i) develop micromechanical expressions for three-dimensional higher-order strain and stress tensors for granular materials, (ii) construct higher-order constitutive models within the thermodynamic framework, based on micromechanical analyses of Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations, and (iii) demonstrate their capabilities in solving “benchmark” geotechnical large-deformation problems. The investigation results in a computational simulation method that provides valuable insights in large-deformation engineering problems and thus will aid in assessing and reducing risks of natural hazards, with benefits for society.
