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On the influence of inter-particle friction and dilatancy in granular materials: a numerical analysis

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Abstract

Mechanical behavior of granular soils is a classic research realm but still yet not completely understood as it can be influenced by a large number of factors, including confining pressure, soil density, loading conditions, and anisotropy of soil etc. Traditionally granular materials are macroscopically regarded as continua and their particulate and discrete nature has not been thoroughly considered although many researches indicate the macro mechanical behavior closely depends on the micro-scale characteristics of particles. This paper presents a DEM (discrete element method)-based micromechanical investigation of inter-particle friction effects on the behavior of granular materials. In this study, biaxial DEM simulations are carried out under both ‘drained’ and ‘undrained’ (constant volume) conditions. The numerical experiments employ samples having similar initial isotropic fabric and density, and the same confining pressure, but with different inter-particle friction coefficient. Test results show that the inter-particle friction has a substantial effect on the stress-strain curve, peak strength and dilatancy characteristics of the granular assembly. Clearly, it is noted that apart from the inter-particle friction, the shear resistance is also contributed to the dilation and the particle packing and arrangements. The corresponding microstructure evolutions and variations in contact properties in the particulate level are also elaborated, to interpret the origin of the different macro-scale response due to variations in the inter-particle friction.

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Abbreviations

k n , k s :

Normal and tangential stiffness of contact model

D 50 :

Mean particle diameter in a particle assemblage

\({\sigma _x ,\sigma _y}\) :

Principal stresses along x and y directions respectively

\({\sigma _1^{\prime} ,\sigma _2^{\prime}}\) :

Major and minor principal stresses respectively

p, q :

Mean normal stress and deviatoric stress respectively

\({\varepsilon _a ,\varepsilon _v}\) :

Axial strain along y direction and volumetric strain respectively

\({\varepsilon _v^p ,\varepsilon _q^p}\) :

Plastic volumetric and deviatoric strains respectively

CN :

Coordination number

\({\varphi _\mu , \mu}\) :

Inter-particle friction angle and inter-particle friction coefficient

\({d_{ij},\delta _{ij}}\) :

Second order deviatoric tensor and Kronecker delta

n i :

Direction cosines of the unit vector with respective to the reference axes x i

\({E(\varphi ), E_0}\) :

A density function and mean value of the density over direction respectively

\({\Delta _d ,\varphi _d}\) :

Intensity and principal direction fabric tensor in general

\({r(\varphi ), r_0}\) :

Spatial distribution of quantity r and its mean value over direction respectively

\({\Delta _d^r , \varphi _d^r}\) :

Intensity and principal direction fabric tensor in term of quantity r

\({f_n (\varphi ), f_0}\) :

Normal contact force distribution and mean value of normal contact force respectively

\({f_t (\varphi )}\) :

Tangential contact force distribution

\({\Delta _d^n , \varphi _d^n}\) :

Intensity and principal direction of fabric tensor in terms of contact normal force

\({\Delta _d^t , \varphi _d^t}\) :

Intensity and principal direction of fabric tensor in terms of contact tangential force

\({f_\mu (\varphi )}\) :

Mobilized inter-particle friction distribution

\({\Delta _d^\mu , \varphi _d^\mu}\) :

Intensity and principal direction fabric tensor in terms of mobilized inter-particle friction

\({\phi _{\rm mob}}\) :

Mobilized friction angle

\({\eta ,\eta _{\rm res}}\) :

Mobilized stress ratio and stress ratio at residual state respectively

A.R.:

Aspect ratio of particle characterizing the particle’s shape

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Z. X. Yang & L. Z. Wang

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

    J. Yang

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  1. Z. X. Yang
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  2. J. Yang
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Correspondence to Z. X. Yang.

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Yang, Z.X., Yang, J. & Wang, L.Z. On the influence of inter-particle friction and dilatancy in granular materials: a numerical analysis. Granular Matter 14, 433–447 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-012-0348-x

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