Micro-mechanical analysis of geomembrane-sand interactions using DEM

Three-dimensional simulations of interface direct shear test between geomembrane and sand are conducted using DEM in this study. An overlapping technique is established to reasonably simulate the roughness of geomembrane surface. The simulation results agree reasonably well with the published experimental results, such as stress-strain relationship, interface shear strength, thickness of shear band. The method is a practical tool to investigate the micro-mechanical interactions between geomembrane and sand, including particle displacement, void ratio and stress state, number of interparticle contacts, and distribution, magnitude and orientation of contact force during the shearing process.