DEM simulation of earth pressure mobilisation with active retaining wall movements

Dingwei He; Jikai Guo; Liang Cui

doi:10.1038/s41598-025-05111-z

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DEM simulation of earth pressure mobilisation with active retaining wall movements

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

DEM simulation of earth pressure mobilisation with active retaining wall movements

Dingwei He, Jikai Guo and Liang Cui

Scientific reports, Vol.15(1), 20301

30/09/2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-05111-z

PMID: 41028191

Abstract

Earth pressure

Discrete element method (DEM)

Boundary effect

Retaining wall

This study presents 3D Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations to analyse earth pressure distributions under active rigid wall movements in both loose and dense sand. A comprehensive simulation procedure is provided, with parameters validated through element testing, literature review, and parametric studies. The earth pressure coefficients (K) and non-linear earth pressure distributions simulated using DEM align closely with those measured in centrifuge tests. For the wall rotation about the top and translation modes, DEM effectively captured the increase in earth pressure at shallow layers, attributed to the arching effect, as visualised by force chains and displacement vectors. The boundary effect was investigated by comparing the earth pressure distributions in DEM models under idealised plane-strain conditions and models with rough front and back boundaries. Results indicated that rough boundaries decreased earth pressures and increased particle rotations near the boundary, with this effect diminishing at a distance approximately 9 d .

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Title: DEM simulation of earth pressure mobilisation with active retaining wall movements
Creators: Dingwei He - Tianjin University
Jikai Guo - Sinopec
Liang Cui - University of Surrey, School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Publication Details: Scientific reports, Vol.15(1), 20301
Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO; BERLIN
Number of pages: 14
Publication Date: 30/09/2025
Date accepted for publication: 03/05/2025
Grant note: University of Tianjin, China
The authors would like to acknowledge Prof. Chuhan Deng from the University of Tianjin, China, for his valuable advice and for providing the centrifuge test data. Additionally, the authors acknowledge the HPC support team at the University of Cambridge, for their assistance in setting up the computational environment.
Identifiers: 991047263702346; WOS:001586153300034
Academic Unit: Institute for Sustainability; School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

DEM simulation of earth pressure mobilisation with active retaining wall movements

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