Meso-scale deformation and strength mobilization mechanisms of EPS composite soil

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) composite soil is composed of two solid constituents (cemented soil and EPS beads), which together with the inter-constituent interfaces form a unique mesoscopic structure. The macroscopic behavior of EPS composite soil has been widely investigated so far, but the focus has seldom been put on the meso-scale mechanisms behind the macroscopic deformation features and strength mobilization processes. In this study, systematic experiments and refined numerical simulations are utilized to examine the meso-scale mechanical responses of EPS composite soil under triaxial compression to reveal the associated mechanisms. Here, meso-scale is a scale smaller than a sample scale but larger than an EPS bead scale. First, the mechanical behavior of cemented soil, EPS material and their interface is obtained in experiments; their constitutive models are formulated, and the model parameters are calibrated based on experimental results. Then, experiments and refined numerical simulations of triaxial compression on EPS composite soil are performed. It is found that the rich macroscopic mechanical behavior of EPS composite soil has a mechanical source (contrast in mechanical behavior between EPS and cemented soil) and a geometric source (non-uniform distribution of EPS beads). The mechanical source leads to highly non-uniform stress and strain distributions within an EPS composite soil. The geometric source causes strain localization in zones with local concentration of EPS beads, leading to three macroscopic deformation modes, i.e., overall shear localization, local lateral expansion, and overall uniform expansion. In strength mobilization, cemented soil matrix first mobilizes its strength because it takes most of the load and contributes much to deformation at the early stage of triaxial compression. EPS beads are later progressively involved in the overall load bearing and deformation of the EPS composite soil sample. EPS beads make more contribution to stress than to strain due to its soft nature. •Constitutive descriptions of constituents of EPS composite soil are developed.•EPS composite soil behavior has both mechanical and geometric sources.•Cemented soil matrix first mobilizes its strength because it takes most of the load.•EPS beads are later progressively involved in load bearing and deformation.