J. O’Donovan

Bio: J. O’Donovan is an academic researcher from Imperial College London. The author has contributed to research in topics: Wave propagation & Discrete element method. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 6 publications receiving 134 citations.

Micromechanics of seismic wave propagation in granular materials

Abstract: In this study experimental data on a model soil in a cubical cell are compared with both discrete element (DEM) simulations and continuum analyses. The experiments and simulations used point source transmitters and receivers to evaluate the shear and compression wave velocities of the samples, from which some of the elastic moduli can be deduced. Complex responses to perturbations generated by the bender/extender piezoceramic elements in the experiments were compared to those found by the controlled movement of the particles in the DEM simulations. The generally satisfactory agreement between experimental observations and DEM simulations can be seen as a validation and support the use of DEM to investigate the influence of grain interaction on wave propagation. Frequency domain analyses that considered filtering of the higher frequency components of the inserted signal, the ratio of the input and received signals in the frequency domain and sample resonance provided useful insight into the system response. Frequency domain analysis and analytical continuum solutions for cube vibration show that the testing configuration excited some, but not all, of the system’s resonant frequencies. The particle scale data available from DEM enabled analysis of the energy dissipation during propagation of the wave. Frequency domain analysis at the particle scale revealed that the higher frequency content reduces with increasing distance from the point of excitation.

Two-dimensional discrete element modelling of bender element tests on an idealised granular material

Abstract: The small-strain (elastic) shear stiffness of soil is an important parameter in geotechnics. It is required as an input parameter to predict deformations and to carry out site response analysis to predict levels of shaking during earthquakes. Bender element testing is often used in experimental soil mechanics to determine the shear (S-) wave velocity in a given soil and hence the shear stiffness. In a bender element test a small perturbation is input at a point source and the propagation of the perturbation through the system is measured at a single measurement point. The mechanics and dynamics of the system response are non-trivial, complicating interpretation of the measured signal. This paper presents the results of a series of discrete element method (DEM) simulations of bender element tests on a simple, idealised granular material. DEM simulations provide the opportunity to study the mechanics of this testing approach in detail. The DEM model is shown to be capable of capturing features of the system response that had previously been identified in continuum-type analyses of the system. The propagation of the wave through the sample can be monitored at the particle-scale in the DEM simulation. In particular, the particle velocity data indicated the migration of a central S-wave accompanied by P-waves moving along the sides of the sample. The elastic stiffness of the system was compared with the stiffness calculated using different approaches to interpreting bender element test data. An approach based upon direct decomposition of the signal using a fast-Fourier transform yielded the most accurate results.

Analysis of bender element test interpretation using the discrete element method

Abstract: While bender element testing is now well-established as a laboratory technique to determine soil stiffness, a robust technique to interpret the data remains elusive. A discrete element method (DEM) model of a face-centred cubic packing of uniform spheres was created to simulate bender element tests to investigate this test from a fundamental perspective. During the DEM simulations transmitter and receiver signals were recorded, analogous to the data available in laboratory tests, and these macro-scale data were supplemented with particle scale measurements (forces, stresses and displacements). A range of approaches previously applied in experimental and numerical studies were used to analyse the resulting data in both the time and frequency domains. The shortcomings in these approaches are clear from the differences in the resultant shear stiffness values and the frequency-dependent nature of the values. The particle-scale data enabled visualization of the passage of the wave through the sample, and it was found not to be possible to precisely link the arrival of the shear wave at the receiver and any of the previously proposed characteristic points along the signal recorded at the receiver. The most reliable determination of the shear wave velocity was obtained by applying a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D FFT) to the data describing the velocity of the particles lying between the transmitter and receiver elements. Use of the DEM model and this 2D FFT approach facilitated the sensitivity of the system response to small variations in the interparticle force–displacement law (the contact model) to be established.

Micromechanics of wave propagation through granular material

Abstract: ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... 13 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... 41

Fast parallel algorithms for short-range molecular dynamics

Abstract: Three parallel algorithms for classical molecular dynamics are presented. The first assigns each processor a fixed subset of atoms; the second assigns each a fixed subset of inter-atomic forces to compute; the third assigns each a fixed spatial region. The algorithms are suitable for molecular dynamics models which can be difficult to parallelize efficiently—those with short-range forces where the neighbors of each atom change rapidly. They can be implemented on any distributed-memory parallel machine which allows for message-passing of data between independently executing processors. The algorithms are tested on a standard Lennard-Jones benchmark problem for system sizes ranging from 500 to 100,000,000 atoms on several parallel supercomputers--the nCUBE 2, Intel iPSC/860 and Paragon, and Cray T3D. Comparing the results to the fastest reported vectorized Cray Y-MP and C90 algorithm shows that the current generation of parallel machines is competitive with conventional vector supercomputers even for small problems. For large problems, the spatial algorithm achieves parallel efficiencies of 90% and a 1840-node Intel Paragon performs up to 165 faster than a single Cray C9O processor. Trade-offs between the three algorithms and guidelines for adapting them to more complex molecular dynamics simulations are also discussed.

Fundamentals of soil stabilization

Abstract: Clayey soils are usually stiff when they are dry and give up their stiffness as they become saturated. Soft clays are associated with low compressive strength and excessive settlement. This reduction in strength due to moisture leads to severe damages to buildings and foundations. The soil behavior can be a challenge to the designer build infrastructure plans to on clay deposits. The damage due to the expansive soils every year is expected to be $1 billion in the USA, £150 million in the UK, and many billions of pounds worldwide. The damages associated with expansive soils are not because of the lack of inadequate engineering solutions but to the failure to identify the existence and magnitude of expansion of these soils in the early stage of project planning. One of the methods for soil improvement is that the problematic soil is replaced by suitable soil. The high cost involved in this method has led researchers to identify alternative methods, and soil stabilization with different additives is one of those methods. Recently, modern scientific techniques of soil stabilization are on offer for this purpose. Stabilized soil is a composite material that is obtained from the combination and optimization of properties of constituent materials. Adding cementing agents such as lime, cement and industrial byproducts like fly ash and slag, with soil results in improved geotechnical properties. However, during the past few decades, a number of cases have been reported where sulfate-rich soils stabilized by cement or lime underwent a significant amount of heave leading to pavement failure. This research paper addressed the some fundamental and success soil improvement that used in civil engineering field.

Quantitative assessment of the influence of surface roughness on soil stiffness

Abstract: The nature of soil stiffness at small strains remains poorly understood. The relationship between soil stiffness (e.g. shear stiffness, G0) and isotropic confining pressure (p′) can be described using a power function with exponent (b), that is, G0 = A (p′/pr)b, where A is a constant and pr is an arbitrary reference pressure. Experimentally determined values of b are usually around 0·5 and these are higher than the value of 0·33 that can be analytically determined using Hertzian theory. Hertzian theory considers contact between two smooth, elastic spheres; however, in reality, inter-particle contacts in soil are complex with particle shape and surface roughness affecting the interaction. Thus Hertzian theory is not directly applicable to predict real soil stiffness. It has, however, provided a useful basis to develop an analytical framework to consider the influence of particle surface roughness on small-strain soil stiffness. Here, earlier contributions using this framework are extended and improved by p...