The study of the high-performance of biopolymers and current eco-friendly have recently emerged. However, the micro-behavior and underlying mechanisms during the test are still unclear. In this study, we conducted experimental and numerical tests in parallel to investigate the impact of different xanthan gum biopolymer contents sand. Then, a numerical simulation of the direct tensile test under different tensile positions was carried out. The micro-characteristics of the biopolymer-treated sand were captured and analyzed by numerical simulations. The results indicate that the biopolymer can substantially increase the uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength of the soil. The analysis of the microparameters demonstrates the increase in the contact bond parameter values with different biopolymer contents, and stronger bonding strength is provided with a higher biopolymer content from the microscale. The contact force and crack development during the test were visualized in the paper. In addition, a regression model for predicting the direct tensile strength under different tensile positions was established. The numerical simulation results explained the mechanical and fracture behavior of xanthan gum biopolymer stabilized sand under uniaxial compression, which provides a better understanding of the biopolymer strengthening effect.
Keywords: biopolymer; green technology; micro-behavior; numerical simulation.