“…The analysis at the grain scale has helped researchers to improve their understanding on the complex behavior of granular materials and analyze multiscale problems (Guo & Zhao, ; O'Sullivan, ; Soga & O'Sullivan, ). The parameters obtained through micromechanical tests at the grain scale (for example, interparticle friction, normal and tangential stiffness) comprise important input in numerical simulations using DEM analyses, for example, in the analysis of the macroscale response of granular materials subjected to monotonic or cyclic loading and the flowability behavior of granular materials (Huang et al, ; Iverson et al, ; Sazzad & Suzuki, ; Yan et al, ). Based on this, significant advancements took place in recent years in microscale experimentation investigating the contact behavior of geological materials and lunar regolith simulants (e.g., Cavarretta et al, ; Cole, ; Cole & Peters, ; Nardelli et al, ; Nardelli & Coop, ; Sandeep & Senetakis, , , ; Senetakis et al, , ; Senetakis & Coop, ).…”