Analysis on evolution of mesostructure of cohesionless soil ground upon loading

Two-dimensional foundation models have been established based on the discrete element method (DEM). By loading the top plate, foundation instability processes under four different values of inter-particle friction were able to be simulated. The evolution of the force chains and contact network within the affected range of the bearing plate were studied. The results indicated that during the loading process, the force chain that transmitted the load from the loading plate gradually grew along the trapezoidal belt, and the number of stable force chains gradually increased until the quantity stabilized. For most of the loading process, the evolution trend of the n-cycles indicated that the n-cycles with more edges gradually evolved into n-cycles with fewer edges. From the point at which the reconstruction of the force chains was completed to the point at which foundation failure occurred, the vertical load and coordination number displayed a linear relationship.