Large open-ended cylinder piles have been widely used for engineering foundation of port. The penetration process of the large-diameter steel cylinder exhibit complex behaviors, which is difficult to be measured by test and reproduced in numerical models. This study presents a friction analysis of large diameter steel penetration process by using the discrete element method (DEM), which can simulate large deformation and nonlinearity well. Centrifugal model and full-scale model were developed to analyze the sliding friction of the cylinder during installation and the contact force chain of soil particles. The validity of the DEM model was examined by comparing with theoretical values and published studies. Parametric studies were carried out to study the effects of contact parameters on side friction. Simulation results showed that, unlike pile penetration, there is no obvious soil-plug effect during the penetration process of large-diameter steel cylinder. Besides, the inside friction is smaller than the outside friction for large-diameter steel cylinder. What’s more, the computational cost of full-scale model based on the upscale theory was less than the centrifugal model. There is a close relationship between the side friction and micro contact parameters, which provides a reference for the follow-up study of cylinder or pile penetration using DEM.

大型开放式圆筒桩已被广泛用作港口的工程基础。大直径钢瓶的穿透过程表现出复杂的行为，这很难通过测试进行测量并难以在数值模型中再现。本研究采用离散元方法（DEM）对大直径钢的穿透过程进行了摩擦分析，可以很好地模拟大变形和非线性。建立了离心模型和全尺寸模型，以分析圆柱体在安装过程中的滑动摩擦和土壤颗粒的接触力链。通过与理论值和已发表的研究进行比较，检验了DEM模型的有效性。进行了参数研究，以研究接触参数对侧面摩擦的影响。仿真结果表明，与桩穿透不同，大直径钢筒在穿透过程中没有明显的堵土作用。此外，内部摩擦小于大直径钢瓶的外部摩擦。此外，基于高级理论的全尺寸模型的计算成本要小于离心模型。侧面摩擦力与微接触参数之间存在密切关系，这为使用DEM进行圆柱或桩穿透的后续研究提供了参考。基于高级理论的全尺寸模型的计算成本小于离心模型。侧面摩擦力与微接触参数之间存在密切关系，这为使用DEM进行圆柱或桩穿透的后续研究提供了参考。基于高级理论的全尺寸模型的计算成本小于离心模型。侧面摩擦力与微接触参数之间存在密切关系，这为使用DEM进行圆柱或桩穿透的后续研究提供了参考。