DEM study on the effect of fiber length and content on the macro-micro mechanical behavior of fiber-sand mixture

TL;DR

This study uses simulations to explore how fiber length and content affect the mechanical behavior of fiber-sand mixtures, revealing how these factors influence strength and deformation.

Contribution

A novel hybrid digital photogrammetry and deep learning approach is developed to construct realistic particle shape databases for DEM simulations.

Findings

Increasing fiber content and length enhances peak and residual stress ratios and friction angles in fiber-sand mixtures.

Longer fibers delay volume contraction by providing bridging and rotational restraint.

Higher fiber content increases sand-fiber contacts and improves internal stability by restricting particle rearrangement.

Abstract

This paper investigates the mechanical behavior of fiber-sand mixtures (FSM) by comprehensively examining the effects of fiber volumetric content (FC) and fiber length (FL) from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives using the discrete element method (DEM). A hybrid digital photogrammetry and deep learning approach integrating YOLOv5 and U-Net is developed to rapidly identify particle contours and construct realistic shape databases for fibers and sand grains. Based on these databases, numerical biaxial compression tests are conducted on FSM samples with different FC and FL. The results show that increasing FC and FL significantly enhances the peak and residual stress ratios, leading to increases in peak and residual friction angles of up to 8.5% and 6.2%, respectively. Higher FC values also promote volumetric shrinkage, while longer fibers delay volume contraction by providing additional bridging and rotational restraint. Microscopic analysis reveals that increasing FC reduces sand-sand coordination numbers and increases sand-fiber contacts, while longer fibers contribute to a higher sliding contact ratio and improve internal stability by restricting particle rearrangement. The findings elucidate the micro-mechanisms governing strength improvement and deformation behavior in FSM and provide guidance for optimizing fiber reinforcement strategies in geotechnical engineering applications.

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