Internal friction and absence of dilatancy of packings of frictionless polygons

By means of numerical simulations, we show that assemblies of frictionless rigid pentagons in slow shear flow possess an internal friction coefficient (equal to 0.183 ± 0.008 with our choice of moderately polydisperse grains) but no macroscopic dilatancy. In other words, despite side-side contacts tending to hinder relative particle rotations, the solid fraction under quasistatic shear coincides with that of isotropic random close packings of pentagonal particles. Properties of polygonal grains are thus similar to those of disks in that respect. We argue that continuous reshuffling of the force-bearing network leads to frequent collapsing events at the microscale, thereby causing the macroscopic dilatancy to vanish. Despite such rearrangements, the shear flow favors an anisotropic structure that is at the origin of the ability of the system to sustain shear stress

Bonded-cell model for particle fracture

Particle degradation and fracture play an important role in natural granular flows and in many applications of granular materials. We analyze the fracture properties of two-dimensional disklike particles modeled as aggregates of rigid cells bonded along their sides by a cohesive Mohr-Coulomb law and simulated by the contact dynamics method. We show that the compressive strength scales with tensile strength between cells but depends also on the friction coefficient and a parameter describing cell shape distribution. The statistical scatter of compressive strength is well described by the Weibull distribution function with a shape parameter varying from 6 to 10 depending on cell shape distribution. We show that this distribution may be understood in terms of percolating critical intercellular contacts. We propose a random-walk model of critical contacts that leads to particle size dependence of the compressive strength in good agreement with our simulation data

Dynamique d'un milieu granulaire soumis à des vibrations horizontales

La dynamique des matériaux granulaires vibrés est une question cruciale dans de nombreuses applications, notamment lors de l'opération de bourrage du ballast ferroviaire, qui consiste à rétablir l'aspect géométrique initial des voies. Nous analysons la dynamique d'une couche granulaire confinée en réponse au chargement harmonique d'une paroi en 3D. Les grains sont modélisés par des polyèdres convexes et leurs mouvements sont simulés par la méthode de Dynamique des Contacts. Le système passe par des états passifs (déchargement), actifs (chargement) et bloqué. Nous montrons qu'une expression simple de la résistance du matériau en fonction du déplacement de la paroi mobile fournit une bonne description de la dynamique. Ce travail met en évidence l'existance d'une fréquence caractéristique proche de 10 Hz pour laquelle le taux moyen de compaction est optimal

Etude numérique des matériaux granulaires à grains polyédriques (rhéologie quasi-statiqur, dynamique vibratoire, application au procédé de bourrage du ballast)

MONTPELLIER-BU Sciences (341722106) / SudocSudocFranceF

Inertial shear flow of assemblies of frictionless polygons: Rheology and microstructure

Motivated by the understanding of shape effects in granular materials, we numerically investigate the macroscopic and microstructural properties of anisotropic dense assemblies of frictionless polydisperse rigid pentagons in shear flow, and compare them with similar systems of disks. Once subjected to large cumulative shear strains their rheology and microstructure are investigated in uniform steady states, depending on inertial number I, which ranges from the quasistatic limit (I ? 10 ?5) to 0.2. In the quasistatic limit both systems are devoid of Reynolds dilatancy, i.e., flow at their random close packing density. Both macroscopic friction angle ?, an increasing function of I, and solid fraction ?, a decreasing function of I, are larger with pentagons than with disks at small I, but the differences decline for larger I and, remarkably , nearly vanish for I ? 0.2. Under growing I, the depletion of contact networks is considerably slower with pentagons, in which increasingly anisotropic, but still well-connected force-transmitting structures are maintained throughout the studied range. Whereas contact anisotropy and force anisotropy contribute nearly equally to the shear strength in disk assemblies, the latter effect dominates with pentagons at small I, while the former takes over for I of the order of 10 ?2. The size of clusters of grains in side-to-side contact, typically comprising more than 10 pentagons in the quasistatic limit, very gradually decreases for growing I

Softer than soft: Diving into squishy granular matter

Softer than soft, squishy granular matter is composed of grains capable of significantly changing their shape (typically larger than 10% of deformation) without tearing or breaking. Because of the difficulty to test these materials experimentally and numerically, such a family of discrete systems remains largely ignored in the granular matter physics field despite being commonly found in nature and industry. Either from a numerical, experimental, or analytical point of view, the study of highly deformable granular matter involves several challenges covering, for instance: ($i$) the need to include a large diversity of grain rheology, ($ii$) the need to consider \dc{large material} deformations, and ($iii$) the analysis upon the effects the large body distortion has on the global scale. In this article, we propose a thorough definition of these squishy granular systems, and we summarize the upcoming challenges in their study.Comment: 11 page

Cohesive strength of iron ore granules

International audienceWe present an experimental and numerical investigation of the mechanical strength of crude iron ore (Hematite) granules in which capillary bonds between primary particles are the source of internal cohesion. The strength is measured by subjecting the granules to vertical compression between two plates. We show that the behavior of the granules is ductile with a well-defined plastic threshold which increases with the amount of water. It is found that the compressive strength scales with capillary cohesion with a pre-factor that is nearly independent of size polydispersity for the investigated range of parameters but increases with friction coefficient between primary particles. This weak dependence may be attributed to the class of fine particles which, due to their large number, behaves as a cohesive matrix that controls the strength of the granule

Cohesive strength of iron ore granules

We present an experimental and numerical investigation of the mechanical strength of crude iron ore (Hematite) granules in which capillary bonds between primary particles are the source of internal cohesion. The strength is measured by subjecting the granules to vertical compression between two plates. We show that the behavior of the granules is ductile with a well-defined plastic threshold which increases with the amount of water. It is found that the compressive strength scales with capillary cohesion with a pre-factor that is nearly independent of size polydispersity for the investigated range of parameters but increases with friction coefficient between primary particles. This weak dependence may be attributed to the class of fine particles which, due to their large number, behaves as a cohesive matrix that controls the strength of the granule