Why do soils that appear similar in properties respond so differently under cyclic loading? The answer lies in processes at the grain scale: changes in particle contacts, fabric, and pore structure that govern pore-pressure build-up, strain accumulation, and strength degradation. While engineering predictions are typically made at the scale of laboratory specimens, soil deposits, slopes, or geotechnical systems, bridging these scales remains a challenge, especially for soils containing fines or exhibiting complex gradation and fabric.
This session examines cyclic soil behaviour from various angles. We invite contributions involving laboratory and physical modelling, advanced imaging techniques, discrete element (DEM) and particle-based methods (SPH, MPM, etc.), constitutive and continuum modelling, and field observations and case histories. Special emphasis is placed on studies that use observations at one scale to better explain or improve predictions at other scales.
Relevant topics include stiffness degradation, pore-pressure buildup and dissipation, cyclic mobility, liquefaction, strain localisation, post-cyclic strength, settlement, lateral spreading, slope stability, and large deformations. Contributions may concentrate on a specific method or scale, as long as they enhance understanding of how soil behaviour evolves from grain-scale mechanisms to ground response and failure.