Simulation of the Dependence of the Bulk-Stress–Strain Relations of Granular Materials on the Particle Shape

Abstract

We investigate the effect of particle shape and interparticle friction on the stress-strain-relation using the discrete element method (DEM) in two dimensions. Elongated particles show a significantly higher shear strength than non-elongated particles. The relative maximum which is characteristic for experimental stress-strain curves of granular materials is found only for elongated particles with finite Coulomb friction, which indicates that the particle elongation is an important parameter in the statistical physics of granular materials. An earlier simulation result from another group which showed a maximum for non-elongated particles could be identified to be due to the formation of a shear band.

Discrete Element Simulation and Validation of a Mixing Process of Granular Materials

“…Another important factor which contributes to the discrepancy between simulations and experiments is the geometry of particles. It is known that the geometry of particles plays an important role in the dynamic of granular materials, e.g., see [23,26,27]. A major shape effect of particles is the interlocking between non-spherical particles which suppress the rolling motion of individual particles.…”

“…It models the interactions between granules directly. While it is known that the geometry of granules plays an important role in the physics of granular assemblies [23,26,27], round particles are widely used for simplicity. This study utilizes a DEM code using round particles, which has proven parallel efficiency on several supercomputer systems such as Earth Simulator and K computer, with a capability of simulating particles on the order of billions [24,25].…”

Numerical Simulation of Gravity Flow in Sublevel Caving Based on Polyhedron DEM

“…3D DEM simulations of ellipsoidal particles were also developed, which showed significant effects of particle shape on shear strength and deformation behavior [30][31][32][33][34][35]. Nouguier-Lehon et al studied the influence of particle shape and angularity on the behavior of granular materials [36], while Shourbagy et al investigated the effect of particle shape on the stress-strain relation using DEM [37]. Huang developed a polyhedron DEM (PDEM) code named BLOKS3D to model the behavior of ballast [38].…”