On the tensile strength of soil grains in Hertzian response

The breakage initiation of soil grains is controlled by its tensile capacity. Despite the importance of tensile strength, it is often disregarded due to difficulties in measurement. This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation on the effect of tensile strength on Hertzian response of a single soil grain. Hertz theory is commonly used in numerical simulation to present the contact constitutive behaviour of a purely elastic grain under normal loading. This normal force:displacement comes from stress distribution and concentration inside the grain. When the stress reaches the tensile capacity, a crack initiates. A series of numerical tests have been conducted to determine the sensitivity of Hertzian response to the selected tensile strength used as an input data. An elastic-damage constitutive model has been employed for spherical grains in a combined finite-discrete element framework. The interpretation of results was enriched by considering previous theoretical work. In addition, systematic experimental tests have been carried out on both spherical glass beads and grains of two different sands, i.e. Leighton Buzzard silica sand and coarse carbonate sand from Persian Gulf. The preliminary results suggest that lower tensile strength leads to a softer response under normal loading. The wider range of responses obtained for the carbonate sand, are believed to be related to the large variety of grain shape associated with bioclastic origin of the constituent grains

Dry granular avalanche impact force on a rigid wall of semi-infinite height

The present paper tackles the problem of the impact of a dry granular avalanche-flow on a rigid wallof semi-infinite height. An analytic force model based on depth-averaged shock theory is proposed to describethe flow-wall interaction and the resulting impact force on the wall. Provided that the analytic force modelis fed with the incoming flow conditions regarding thickness, velocity and density, all averaged over a certaindistance downstream of the undisturbed incoming flow, it reproduces very well the time history of the impactforce actually measured by detailed discrete element simulations, for a wide range of slope angles

Capturing of the internal mechanics of liquid-granular flows comprised of polydisperse spherical particles

This paper presents a series of flume experiments designed to examine the motion and arrest of concentrated granular-fluid flows, with a view to understanding the role of polydispersity in debris flows. A non-intrusive technique is used to investigate the internal behaviour of small scale experimental flows. Three different particle size distributions comprised of polydisperse spherical particles and one with the finer component made of angular particles were analysed. The choice of using spherical shaped particles was made to improve the visualization of the internal mechanics without reducing overmuch the complexity involved in the study of these flows. We examined and compared the internal velocities of the flows and their depositional spreads. While the optical performance of the non-intrusive technique was improved, some of the characteristics commonly seen in these types of granular flows were not observed. Velocity profiles obtained in the body of the flows were similar in shape but with differences in velocity magnitude depending on the amount of fines and the angularity of the particle in one case. Depositional runouts between flows were similar at low inclinations when little internal energy was supplemented to the system or when the viscous effects dominated the mechanics at steeper angles

On the torsional loading of elastoplastic spheres in contact

The mechanical interaction between two bodies involves normal loading in combination with tangential, torsional and rotational loading. This paper focuses on the torsional loading of two spherical bodies which leads to twisting moment. The theoretical approach for calculating twisting moment between two spherical bodies has been proposed by Lubkin [1]. Due to the complexity of the solution, this has been simplified by Deresiewicz for discrete element modelling [2]. Here, the application of a simplified model for elastoplastic spheres is verified using computational modelling. The single grain interaction is simulated in a combined finite discrete element domain. In this domain a grain can deform using a finite element formulation and can interact with other objects based on discrete element principles. For an elastoplastic model, the contact area is larger in comparison with the elastic model, under a given normal force. Therefore, the plastic twisting moment is stiffer. The results presented here are important for describing any granular system involving torsional loading of elastoplastic grains. In particular, recent research on the behaviour of soil has clearly shown the importance of plasticity on grain interaction and rearrangement

Towards minimal models for realistic granular materials: Tomographic analysis of bidispersed assemblies of ellipsoid

In this paper, we report experimental results on granular compaction in a model system made of mono- and bidisperse ellipsoidal packings as well as sand packings with grain size polydispersity. The packings are subject to vertical tapping of varying duration (number of taps) and their internal three-dimensional structure is obtained using x-ray computed tomography. Particles positions and orientations are reconstructed and the global packing densities are computed. The analysis of the vertical and horizontal local packing fraction profiles reveal a homogeneous densification in the ellipsoidal packings, however, sand packings exhibit radial density gradient, possibly linked to the onset of convection

Observation of microstructure of silty sand obtained from gelpush sampler and reconstituted sample

Observation of microstructure study of natural sand i.e. clean sand with fines (particles adjudged to be smaller than 75μm) content < 5% (Gel Push A) and silty sand with 35% fine content (Gel Push B) obtained by gel-push sampling was described. In addition, some observations from reconstituted samples prepared by dry pluviation and moist tamping were presented. Microstructures were investigated statistically by measuring particle orientation. It was evidence that natural sand (either gel push A and B) have a preferred orientation i.e. horizontally oriented. Similar particle orientation trend were observed by dry pluviated sample. Undisturbed and dry pluviated samples shows that they are anisotropic in terms of particles orientation. Moist tamped sample on the other hand, results in fairly random orientation with a slight bias towards vertical, thus does not replicate natural sand fabric

Pomelo, a tool for computing Generic Set Voronoi Diagrams of Aspherical Particles of Arbitrary Shape

We describe the development of a new software tool, called “Pomelo”, for the calculation of Set Voronoi diagrams. Voronoi diagrams are a spatial partition of the space around the particles into separate Voronoi cells, e.g. applicable to granular materials. A generalization of the conventional Voronoi diagram for points or monodisperse spheres is the Set Voronoi diagram, also known as navigational map or tessellation by zone of influence. In this construction, a Set Voronoi cell contains the volume that is closer to the surface of one particle than to the surface of any other particle. This is required for aspherical or polydisperse systems. Pomelo is designed to be easy to use and as generic as possible. It directly supports common particle shapes and offers a generic mode, which allows to deal with any type of particles that can be described mathematically. Pomelo can create output in different standard formats, which allows direct visualization and further processing. Finally, we describe three applications of the Set Voronoi code in granular and soft matter physics, namely the problem of packings of ellipsoidal particles with varying degrees of particle-particle friction, mechanical stable packings of tetrahedra and a model for liquid crystal systems of particles with shapes reminiscent of pears

Effect of Structure on Strength of Agglomerates using Distinct Element Method

Knowledge of agglomerate strength is highly desirable for compression and tableting, dissolution and dispersion and mitigation of dust formation. The behaviour of agglomerates is affected by parameters such as density, agglomerate size, primary particle size, and interparticle bond strength. The method of agglomeration influences the evolution of structure, and this in turn affects its strength. Furthermore, the methods of strength characterisation, i.e. quasi-static or impact produce different results. To understand the role of structure and the influence of test method, agglomerate failure behaviour has been analysed by the use of the Distinct Element Method (DEM). We report on our work on the simulation of the breakage of the agglomerates for different porosities and impact conditions, where the role of impact speed and angle and type of contact bonding model have been evaluated. The adhesive contact model of JKR is used to form an agglomerate. The effect of the bonding level on the strength and size distribution of the clusters released as a result of failure has been investigated. This work also evaluates the effect of structure (porosity) on the strength of the agglomerates

Fluid-particle energy transfer in spiral jet milling

Spiral jet milling is a size reduction process driven by the fluid energy of high velocity gas jets. Inter-particle and particle-wall interactions are responsible for size reduction. The process is energy intensive, but inefficient. The underlying mechanisms for size reduction in the mill are also not very well understood. The optimum grinding conditions are still currently found by trial and error experimentation. In this work, the Discrete Element Method coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics is used to investigate the effects of different parameters on the particle collisional behaviour in a spiral jet mill. These include the particle concentration in the grinding chamber, the particle size, and the fluid power input. We report on our work analysing the efficiency of energy transfer and how it can be improved by changing the milling conditions and particle properties