Discrete-Element Simulation of Scaling Effect of Strain Localization in Dense Granular Materials
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper presents a discrete-element method (DEM) study of the scaling effect of strain localization in dense sand. We used disc particles and clump particles to generate specimens for biaxial compression tests, and we adopted a flexible boundary. To investigate the scaling effect, we used a fixed size of specimen composed of different size particles. Numerical simulation reveals that the obtained stress difference and volume strain at a certain strain decrease with R (ratio of specimen width and mean particle size d50). As long as the ratio R is larger than 30, the stress difference, volume strain, peak friction angle, and maximum dilatancy angle approach stable values. The influence of R on the shear strength and volumetric strain of the specimen made of disc particles is greater than the one made of clump particles. With the increase in R, the coordination number and average and maximum contact forces decrease gradually, and the shear band width in dense sand gradually decreases and converges to a constant. The shear band inclination does not reveal obvious variation with R, and the obtained results are close to Roscoe’s formula. When R is large enough (i.e., R ≥ 40), the obtained shear band width keeps a constant, and the influence of particle size on shear band disappears. With the decrease in d50, the ratio of shear band width with d50 gradually decreases; it reaches a stable value when R is large enough.
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Acknowledgments
The financial support by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant 2016YFC0800200), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 51738010 and 41672270) are gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19 • Issue 6 • June 2019
Copyright
© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 19, 2018
Accepted: Jan 7, 2019
Published online: Apr 12, 2019
Published in print: Jun 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Sep 12, 2019
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