Abstract

--- - Penetration test is a simple and useful test to characterize soils and granular materials. Several studies have shown the link between cone penetration resistance and density for a given material if the relation connecting these two parameters has been established beforehand. A granular materials bank currently including more than 35 granular materials has been developed to this end. Unfortunately, to be able to generalize and cover the broadest possible material range, it would be necessary to multiply the tests and the number of materials. Moreover in coarse granular media, it is necessary to carry out a large number of tests in order to achieve a reliable relation between density and cone resistance. - Consequently, being able to model this test in a realistic way will enable increasing the number of tests on a material and carry out more precise parametric studies to evaluate the influence of any parameter on the test response. - This article presents the work carried out to model a penetration test within a coarse granular medium. The penetrometer used is a light penetrometer with a 2cm(2) cone. - The first part will present the experimental protocol developed with the material bank in order to establish the relation between cone resistance and material density. The results obtained on a coarse material of a railway ballast type will be presented. The second part will present the test modelling using discrete elements and parameter identification to obtain the relation found in the experimental tests and connecting cone resistance to material density.