Related papers: Confined granular packings: structure, stress, and…
We report three-dimensional particle mechanics static calculations that predict the microstructure evolution during die-compaction of elastic spherical particles up to relative densities close to one. We employ a nonlocal contact…
When compressed frictional granular media are decompressed, generically a fragile configuration is created at low pressures. Typically this is accompanied by a giant frictional slippage as the fragile state collapses. We show that this…
We analyze the contact and force networks in a dense confined packing of pentagonal particles simulated by means of the contact dynamics method. The particle shape effect is evidenced by comparing the data from pentagon packing and from a…
Assemblies of granular particles mechanically stable under their own weight contain arches. These are structural units identified as sets of mutually stable grains. It is generally assumed that these arches shield the weight above them and…
The structure of random sphere packings in mechanical equilibrium in prescribed stress states, as studied by molecular dynamics simulations, strongly depends on the assembling procedure. Frictionless packings in the limit of low pressure…
We study numerically the influence of confinement on the solid fraction and on the structure of three-dimensional random close packed (RCP) granular materials subject to gravity. The effects of grain shape (spherical or polyhedral),…
We perform a detailed analysis of the contact force network in a dense confined packing of pentagonal particles simulated by means of the contact dynamics method. The effect of particle shape is evidenced by comparing the data from pentagon…
Force networks form the skeleton of static granular matter. They are the key ingredient to mechanical properties, such as stability, elasticity and sound transmission, which are of utmost importance for civil engineering and industrial…
The force network of a granular assembly, defined by the contact network and the corresponding contact forces, carries valuable information about the state of the packing. Simple analysis of these networks based on the distribution of force…
The bulk dynamics of dense granular materials arise through a combination of particle-scale and mesoscale effects. Theoretical and numerical studies have shown that collective effects are created by particle-scale anisotropic structures…
This article explores the hysteretic behavior and the damping features of sheared granular media using discrete element method (DEM) simulations. We consider polydisperse non-cohesive frictional spherical particles, enclosed in a container…
Granular creep is the slow, sub-yield movement of constituents in a granular packing due to the disordered nature of its grain-scale interactions. Despite the ubiquity of creep in disordered materials, it is still not understood how to best…
By means of numerical simulations, we study the influence of confinement on three-dimensional random close packed (RCP) granular materials subject to gravity. The effects of grain shape (spherical or polyhedral) and polydispersity on this…
A maximum entropy theorem is developed and tested for granular contact forces. Although it is idealized, describing two dimensional packings of round, rigid, frictionless, cohesionless disks with coordination number Z=4, it appears to…
This paper analyzes the compaction behavior of assemblies composed of soft (elastic) spherical particles beyond the jammed state, using three-dimensional non-smooth contact dynamic simulations. The assemblies of particles are characterized…
We present an experimental investigation of the probability distribution of normal contact forces, $P(F)$, at the bottom boundary of static three dimensional packings of compressible granular materials. We find that the degree of…
We have recently developed some simple continuum models of static granular media which display "fragile" behaviour: they predict that the medium is unable to support certain types of infinitesimal load (which we call "incompatible" loads)…
3D Computer simulations and experiments are employed to study random packings of compressible spherical grains under external confining stress. Of particular interest is the rigid ball limit, which we describe as a continuous transition in…
We perform a detailed analysis of the contact force network in a dense confined packing of pentagonal particles simulated by means of the contact dynamics method. The effect of particle shape is evidenced by comparing the data from pentagon…
If you walk on sand, it supports your weight. How do the disordered forces between particles in sand organize, to keep you from sinking? This simple question is surprisingly difficult to answer experimentally: measuring forces in three…