2008/01/30 by Jiangu Qian, Farhang Radjai, Zhimin You +2
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Anisotropy #Composite material #Composite number #Geology #Geotechnical engineering #Materials science #Mechanical Behavior of Composites #Metal Forming Simulation Techniques #Micromechanics #Physics #Textile materials and evaluations #cond-mat.soft
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.compgeo.2013.01.001
arxiv created 2008/01/30 · arxiv updated 2013/02/13 · openalex publication_date 2013/02/13 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The shear strength of cohesionless granular materials is generally attributed to the compactness or anisotropy of their microstructure. An open issue is how such compact or anisotropic microstructures, and thus the shear strength, depend on the particle properties. We first recall the role of fabric and force anisotropies with respect to the critical-state shear stress. Then, a model of accessible geometrical states in terms of particle connectivity and contact anisotropy is presented. This model incorporates in a simple way the fact that, due to steric exclusions, the highest levels of connectivity and anisotropy cannot be reached simultaneously, a property that affects seriously the shear strength. We also analyze the force anisotropy in the light of the specific role of weak forces in sustaining strong force chains and thus the main mechanism that underlies anisotropic force patterns. Finally, we briefly discuss the effect of interparticle friction, particle shape, size polydispersity and adhesion.