Discrete element modeling of soil-structure interface behavior under cyclic loading

The cyclic shear behavior of the interface between soil and structure at both the macro and the micro level is investigated by interface direct shear tests under constant normal stiffness condition using discrete element modeling. The simulation results are validated qualitatively by the corresponding experiment. The influence of the initial state of the specimen (i.e. soil density and normal stress) on the cyclic behavior is systematically discussed. Moreover, the cyclic accumulative deformation of the interface is carefully studied in the view of the void ratio and the correlation between the final deformations under cyclic and monotonic loading is explored.