Earthwork laboratory tests and suction – experimental and numerical approach

The research presented in this publication is funded by the French National Project « Terredurable », which is dedicated to the study of soils in quasi-saturated conditions (close to saturation). Stability and deformation of earth structures are reanalyzed with a quasi-saturated hydromechanical model. In this paper, IPI tests are modeled with a two-dimensional explicit finite difference program (Flac 2D). The model presented considers mechanical soil theory to approach earthwork tests by integrating a compressible bulk modulus. Results of the numerical approach show how it is possible to link parameters of near saturation soil mechanic (saturation, suction) to earthwork strength of soil parameters (IPI value).