Related papers: Models of stress propagation in granular media
We investigate in detail two models describing how stresses propagate and fluctuate in granular media. The first one is a scalar model where only the vertical component of the stress tensor is considered. In the continuum limit, this model…
The stress response of a granular assembly subject to different changes of boundary conditions is studied experimentally in order to define the stress propagation characteristics. These results demonstrate that no simple and single…
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)…
We describe a new continuum approach to the modelling of stress propagation in static granular media, focussing on the conical sandpile created from a point source. We argue that the stress continuity equations should be closed by means of…
We present a new approach to the modelling of stress propagation in static granular media, focussing on the conical sandpile constructed from a point source. We view the medium as consisting of cohesionless hard particles held up by static…
We present simulations of static model sandpiles in two dimensions (2D) and focus on the stress distribution in such arrays made of discrete particles. We use the simplest possible model, i.e. spherical particles with a linear spring and a…
The pressure distribution beneath a conical sandpile, created by pouring sand from a point source onto a rough rigid support, shows a pronounced minimum below the apex (`the dip'). Recent work of the authors has attempted to explain this…
The stress profile and reorientation of grains, in response to a point force applied to a preloaded two dimensional granular system, are calculated in the context of a continuum theory that incorporates the texture of the packing. When high…
By employing the adaptive network simulation method, we demonstrate that the ensemble-averaged stress caused by a local force for packings of frictionless rigid beads is concentrated along rays whose slope is consistent with unity: forces…
We report on experimentally observed shear stress fluctuations in both granular solid and fluid states, showing that they are non-Gaussian at low shear rates, reflecting the predominance of correlated structures (force chains) in the…
The form of the stress tensor is investigated in smooth, dense granular flows which are generated in split-bottom shear geometries. We find that, within a fluctuation fluidized spatial region, the form of the stress tensor is directly…
We investigate theoretically how the stress propagation characteristics of granular materials evolve as they are subjected to increasing pressures, comparing the results of a two-dimensional scalar lattice model to those of a molecular…
Stress transmission in planar open-cell cellular solids is analysed using a recent theory developed for marginally rigid granular assemblies. This is made possible by constructing a one-to-one mapping between the two systems. General…
Stress paths in granular matter often suffer sudden large-scale rearrangements when the system is slightly perturbed, i.e. granular systems are unstable. We show in this paper that the observed instability is due to the minimally rigid, or…
We study theoretically the complex network of forces that is responsible for the static structure and properties of granular materials. We present detailed calculations for a model in which the fluctuations in the force distribution arise…
We examine the network of forces to be expected in a static assembly of hard, frictionless spherical beads of random sizes, such as a colloidal glass. Such an assembly is minimally connected: the ratio of constraint equations to contact…
Granular media such as sand and sugar are ubiquitous in nature and industry but are less well understood than fluids or solids. We consider the behavior of rapid granular flows where the transfer of momenta by collisions dominates. The…
A lattice model is presented for investigating the fluctuations in static granular materials under gravitationally induced stress. The model is similar in spirit to the scalar q-model of Coppersmith et al., but ensures balance of all…
On microscopic and mesoscopic scales, plastic flow of crystals is characterized by large intrinsic fluctuations. Deformation by crystallographic slip occurs in a sequence of intermittent bursts ('slip avalanches') with power-law size…
The mechanics of granular media at low liquid saturation levels remain poorly understood. Macroscopic mechanical properties are affected by microscale forces and processes, such as capillary forces, inter-particle friction, liquid flows,…