1.To encourage microscopic particle-scale understanding of significant macroscopic behaviours of gravel, sand, clay and their mixtures, such as compressibility, anisotropy, yielding, creep, cyclic liquefaction, shear failure and tensile fracture.
2.To promote discussions on the use of micro-scale measurements and simulations to enhance soil characterisation procedures (grading, plasticity index, CPT / SPT etc) and to clarify the selection and use of continuum parameters in geotechnical engineering practice.
3.To promote better practice of Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) of soil aggregates, through simulations of laboratory tests and round-robin tests.