Evaluating the particle rolling effect on the characteristic features of granular material under the critical state soil mechanics framework

• Published in: Granular matter Vol. 22; no. 4
• Main Authors: Barnett, N., Rahman, Md. Mizanur, Karim, Md. Rajibul, Nguyen, H. B. K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-11-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Dilatancy; Discrete element method; Engineering Fluid Dynamics; Engineering Thermodynamics; Foundations; Geoengineering; Granular materials; Heat and Mass Transfer; Hydraulics; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Science; Mechanical properties; Original Paper; Phase transitions; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Rolling resistance; Soft and Granular Matter; Soil investigations; Soil mechanics; Critical state soil mechanics constitutive behaviour; Fabric/structure of soils; Rolling resistance; Discrete-element modelling
• ISSN: 1434-5021; 1434-7636
• DOI: 10.1007/s10035-020-01055-5

The discrete element method (DEM) has been extensively used to capture the macroscopic and particulate response of granular materials. Although particle rolling (i.e. controlled by rolling resistance) has been acknowledged as a major contributing factor towards micro-mechanical behaviour of idealized spherical granular material, its influence on characteristic behaviour has not been thoroughly investigated within critical state soil mechanics (CSSM) framework. For instance, the influence of particle rolling on characteristic features of undrained and drained behaviour (e.g. phase transformation, characteristic state, instability, dilatancy, critical state) and the state parameter, (
ψ
) has not been captured. In this study, a series of constant volume (CV) and drained triaxial compression simulations were undertaken using a rolling resistance linear contact model, deployed within a DEM software. The CSSM framework was centrally used to assess the influence of particle rolling tendencies/resistance on CV and drained behaviours from both a macro- and micro-mechanical standpoint. The study advanced the current understanding of the influence of rolling resistance on CS-related behaviour.
Graphic abstract