simulationofroot-mattedsoilcuttingbyuseofdistinct.docVIP

SIMULATION OF ROOT-MATTED SOIL CUTTING BY USE OF DISTINCT ELEMET METHOD Bambang PURWANTANA*1 ABSTRACT A numerical technique, the distinct element method (DEM), was used to simulate the mechanical behavior of root-matted soil. The conventional DEM was modified with introducing a tensile parameter on the mechanical relationship between the DEM elements. The validity of the modified model was investigated by conducting an experiment in which root-matted soil is cut by a blade. The simulation results indicate the appropriateness of the modified DEM. The effects of tension from the experimental results could be simulated by the DEM. This study has provided new and valuable information on the behavior of soil and root at cutting process. Keywords: Root-matted soil, modified DEM, tensile parameter, cutting 1. INTRODUCTION Distinct Element Method (DEM) is one of numerical technique that has potential for studying the behavior of discrete or granular material. The DEM is introduced originally by Cundall (1979) to analyze a collection of granular particles. The method has since been used to study many other type of discrete material, and also in some cases the continuum materials (e.g., Iwashita and Oda, 1998; Shimizu and Cundall, 2001). In the conventional DEM, the object is assumed as an assembly of discrete elements and the mechanical relationships between elements are determined by normal spring constant, tangential spring constant and frictional parameters. For specific purposes some modified DEM have been developed. Iwashita and Oda (1998) for example, introduce a rolling parameter on the elements. Momozu et al. (2003), introduce an adhesion parameter around the elements. We have conducted a study on the cutting of root-matted soil. It was found that root-mat makes soil less cohesive in that soil pulverization was greater than that of simple soil. It was also found that the root-mat increased the cutting resistance, and the resistance force increased with root density