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| Particle size effect investigation on soil arching in sands |
| HAO Shuai1, LUO Weiping2, ZHENG Zaidi3, XUE Dongjie4, LIU Xueyan1* |
(1.Department of Civil Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; 2. Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; 3. Beijing Municipal No.4 Engineering Construction
Co., Ltd., Beijing 100045, China; 4. State Key Laboratory for Tunnel Engineering,
China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China) |
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Abstract The soil arching effect is a crucial factor to consider in tunnel excavation, bridge pile foundations, slope cutting, and other construction projects. It is influenced by factors such as trapdoor width, soil cover depth, and soil strength. However, particle size also plays a significant role in the soil arching effect and requires further investigation. This study employs cubic and hexagonal particle packing models and utilizes the discrete element method to explore the evolution of the soil arching effect under plane strain conditions for single-sized sand in both loose and dense states. The study analyses the regulatory mechanisms of particle size on the ground reaction curve, shear band shape, loosening zone range and shape, and the contact force network.
Results suggest that: (1) under the same conditions, the maximum normalized arch stress, ultimate normalized stress, and maximum normalized arch displacement decrease with increasing particle size; (2) the shear band shape varies with particle size: large and medium-sized particles (d = 3–6 mm) induce tower-like shear failure above the trapdoor, while smaller particles (d = 1 mm) exhibit more complex failure due to the interaction of horizontal and triangular shear bands; (3) regarding the loosening zone, dense sand with large particles (d = 6 mm) displays only a triangular loosening zone, whereas medium and small particles (d = 1–3 mm) show both triangular loosening and inward-contracting funnel-shaped settlement. In contrast, loose sand tends to fail over a larger area, exhibiting a contracting funnel-shaped loosening pattern; (4) as particle size decreases, the average contact force between particles diminishes, while contact density increases. The reduction in contact force weakens the efficiency of load transmission between particles, which is not conducive to the formation of the soil arch, whereas the increase in contact density enhances the cohesiveness of the soil, allowing more particles to contribute to the evolution of the soil arch.
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2026, Vol. 45 
