Abstract
Soil deformation, which consisted of the share band and high degree of material movement, caused by a semi-legged vehicle, was analyzed by EDEM (Extended Distinct Element Method). EDEM can analyze uncontinuous materials as it represents soil as independent particles. EDEM can also analyze continuous materials by introducing the pore-springs to represent surrounding fill materials. The adaptation of EDEM was examined with soil and a pantographic leg. In the simulations of experiments with Toyoura sand, the values of reaction forces of sand without the rolling friction were significantly smaller than the measured values, but by introducing the rolling friction, those of reaction forces became similar to the measured values because the moments were transmitted among particles. The effect of the criteria for failure of pore-springs on the soil deformation was examined. The phenomena such as soil particles not falling into the holes dug by the leg could be expressed, when the proper criteria were set up in the simulations. As for the effect of the compaction in soft and hard soil, the difference in reaction forces could also be expressed.
