International audienceCohesionless granular matter subjected to internal flow can incur an internal erosion by suffusion characterized by a migration of its finest constituting particles. A series of suffusion tests is performed on assemblies of gap graded glass beads using a large oedo-permeameter device. Two successive processes of erosion can be observed during the tests. First, a suffusion process is characterized by a progressive and diffuse migration of fine particles over a long time period. The second process, induced by the first one, is characterized by a strong migration over a short time period (blowout of fine particles) and produces rapidly large settlement of specimen. Time series of hydraulic conductivity, longitudinal profile of specimen density, eroded mass and axial deformation are analyzed. The initial content of fine particles and the history of hydraulic loading appear as key parameters in the suffusion development. To characterize the suffusion development, erosion rate is investigated according to the power expended by the seepage flow, and a new law of erosion by suffusion is proposed

Internal erosion in soils is characterized by a first step of detachment of solid particles from the granular skeleton under the action of a water seepage; then the detached particles are transported with the water flow. For some erosion processes, as suffusion, transported particles may finally be redeposited within the interstitial space of the soil itself acting as a filter. This paper focuses on the analysis and the description of the two first steps of particle detachment and transport in the cases of erosion by suffusion and piping erosion. The analysis is mainly based on direct numerical simulations performed with a fully coupled discrete element-lattice Boltzmann method (DE-LB method). Inter-particle interactions occurring in the solid granular phase are described with the discrete element method, whereas dynamics of the water flow is solved with the lattice Boltzmann method. Simulation results show that internal erosion of the solid phase can be described either from the hydraulic shear stress or from the power expended by the water seepage.The latter description based on the flow power is finally compared with experimental results from laboratory tests.