DEM Simulation of Dynamic Compaction with Different Tamping Energy and Calibrated Damping Parameters

Abstract

It is of great significance to study the compaction effects of the different tamping energy to provide advices for ground treatment. In this paper, a series of dynamic compaction tests on loose sands with different tamping energy were simulated by the Distinct Element Method (DEM). Firstly, different viscous damping coefficients varied from 0.8–2.0 were employed in the soil ground. Then we selected an available value by comparing the simulation results with the experimental results. At last, a series of compaction tests with three different tamping energy were conducted to evaluate the compacting effects via the porosity reduction and ground settlement. The DEM results show that: the rebound of the compaction hammer increases with the decreasing damping coefficient; 1.8 is selected because of a similar rebound compared with the experimental results; better achievements can be obtained in the dynamic compaction process when bigger tamping energy is used.