Some important aspects of modelling clay platelet interactions using DEM

The discrete element method (DEM) is a popular tool for simulating soils, however it has rarely been used for modelling clays. This is despite the behaviour of clays being much less well understood compared to sands. This paper aims to increase the use of DEM to investigate clays by highlighting some important issues concerning the implementation of particle interactions to any model. When using spheres as the elementary unit in DEM, it is shown how special attention is needed to ensure repeatable interactions between platelets, and also how the geometry of the platelets affect both the normal and tangential interactions. • Using Discrete Element Method, essential to model platelets with a high resolution. • Contact laws must be calibrated to ensure the expected model behaviour. • Random imperfections are required to ensure repeatable platelet interactions. • The specified model coefficient of friction does not correspond to measured value.