Influence of Particle-Scale Properties on Fracture Behavior of Silica Sand
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21, Issue 5
Abstract
The distribution of stresses within individual granular particles subjected to one-dimensional (1D) confined compression is affected by various particle-scale properties, such as morphology, kinematics, position, crystal structure, and the interaction of the particles (i.e., the local contact network). A thorough examination of the effects of particle-scale properties on the variation of stresses within individual particles and the fracture of particles in granular materials is essential for the theoretical analysis and modeling of the engineering behavior of granular materials. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) synchrotron microcomputed tomography (SMT) and 3D X-ray diffraction microscopy (3DXRD) that are nondestructive techniques will be concurrently used to quantify the variation of internal particle stresses, as well as the particle-scale properties of a specimen composed of Ottawa sand that will be subjected to a 1D confined compression. The effects of the particle properties on the variation of the particles internal stresses and the fracture of particles will be studied in detail. The importance of the particle-scale properties based on their effect on the variation of particle stress will be ranked using a feature selection algorithm called RReliefF. The significant particle properties (kinematics, contact number, the relative orientation of the local contact network for the loading direction, and position) by the feature selection algorithm will be investigated further to uncover their influence on the internal particle stresses. In addition, the effects of the particle-scale properties on the fracture of the particles will be examined. The fracture of the sand particles proved to be a complex phenomenon that was controlled by particle-scale properties and by the interaction between the particles. The relative orientation of the fracture surface in the fractured particles was examined to assess the effect particle shape and local contact network of the particles on the fracture of the particles.
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Acknowledgments
This material is based on work supported by the US National Science Foundation under Grant No. CMMI- 1362510. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The SMT and 3DXRD images were collected using Beamline 1-ID at APS, Argonne National Laboratory. Use of the APS, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the US DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory, was supported by the US DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21 • Issue 5 • May 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 15, 2020
Accepted: Nov 27, 2020
Published online: Mar 3, 2021
Published in print: May 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Aug 3, 2021
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