DEM analysis of crushing around driven piles in granular materials

It is widely accepted that the capacity of driven piles in breakable weak sands such as calcareous sands is only a fraction of the capacity of driven piles in strong sands such as quartz sands (Gilchrist, 1985; Murff, 1987). This difference could be attributed initially to the reduction of the mobilised angle of shearing resistance that is associated with particle crushing in weak sands, because several researchers have found that the angle of shearing resistance decreases as a consequence of particle crushing (Bishop, 1966; Bolton, 1986). Another explanation for the low bearing capacity of...