Coupled DEM-FDM investigation of centrifuge acceleration on the response of shallow foundations in soft rocks

The discrete element method (DEM) is a promising tool for dealing with boundary value problems (BVPs) characterised by large deformation and non-linearities. BVPs are however challenging and require numerical procedures to reduce the computational burden. In this work, DEM-FDM (Finite Difference Method) coupling is used to simulate the penetration of a shallow foundation into weakly cemented granular materials under different gravity levels. A fast-generation technique for the preparation of the sample, considering the distribution of particle weight is also proposed. The numerical results indicate that the failure mechanism at shallow depths is governed by the gravity level and that the punching response is largely influenced by the contact model used.