Microscale Normal Compression Behaviors of Clay Aggregates: A Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Study.

Given the limitations of micromechanical experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, the normal compression process of clay aggregates was simulated under different vertical pressures (), numbers of particles, loading methods, and environments by a Gay-Berne potential model. On the basis of the variations of particle orientation and the distribution of stacks, the evolution of deformation and stresses was elucidated. The results showed that the effects of the pressure level and loading environment on the deformation were significant.