Abstract: This paper presents a numerical investigation of cemented sand behaviours using the distinct element method (DEM). First, the test results of the contact behaviours between the idealized bonded granules were introduced in two-dimensional DEM code (NS2D) to simulate the bonding effect between particles in cemented sand. Second, a series of biaxial compression tests on cemented sand of different bonding strengths and confining pressures were carried out by the DEM simulations. Then, the DEM results were compared with the test results on artificially cemented sand obtained by Wang and Leung[1]. Finally, the analysis of micromechanical responses (i.e. contact force chain, bond breakage ratio, and displacement field) in DEM specimens was presented in this paper. The simulation results show that the DEM model is able to capture the main mechanical behaviours of cemented sand, such as the strength enhancement, strain softening and volumetric dilation. The different features between cemented sand and uncemented sand become more pronounced with the increasing of bonding strength and deceasing of confining pressure. The macromechanical responses (i.e. stress-strain and volumetric-axial strain relationships) of cemented sand are associated with the micromechanical responses (i.e. contact force chain, bond breakage ratio, and displacement field)

Key words: cemented sand, idealized bonded granules, contact model, distinct element method