Effect of frictional heat dissipation on the loss of soil strength

In the present paper through a shear test on a fully saturated granular medium, simulated by the discrete element method, the effect of the heat produced by friction on the internal pore water pressure is explored. It is found that the dissipated energy is enough to increase the pore pressure and reduce the soil strength. In adiabatic and impermeable conditions the heat builds up quickly inside the shear band, and the softening is more pronounced. It is found as well that for real geological materials, heat conduction is not enough to reduce the pore pressure, and the softening prevails. Nevertheless, it is observed that the hydraulic conduction may mitigate or completely eliminate the temperature growth inside the shear band. This result provides new understanding on the thermodynamic factors involved in the onset of catastrophic landslides.