DEM Study of Shear Band Formation in Granular Materials under True Triaxial Test Conditions

Document Type : Research Papers

Authors

1 M.Sc. Student, School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, (Currently Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Maritime and Transport Technology, Faculty of 3ME, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands).

2 Professor, School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Subjected to external loads, granular materials experience severe deformation in a narrow zone before their failure. This phenomenon, which is called strain localisation or shear band, is of vital importance in assessing the stability of the geotechnical structure, studying the stress-strain behaviour of soil and rock materials, and analysing the interaction of soil and structure. The present study is aimed to investigate the effect of various factors on the pattern and inclination of shear band in a general three-dimensional condition of stress using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). Several tests were simulated using a developed version of the TRUBAL program called GRANULE. The GRANULE code was further developed to add the capability of carrying out simulations with different intermediate principal stresses and modelling specimens containing non-spherical particles. The shear band was detected by tracking the motion of the particles and plotting the rotation distribution of particles within the sample. The results prove that the shear band inclination and its pattern, are greatly affected by intermediate principal stress, particle shape, and confining stress. Moreover, it was observed that the change in the b value plays a key role in the alteration of the 3D configuration of the shear band.

Keywords

References

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Civil Engineering Infrastructures Journal
Volume 55, Issue 2
December 2022
Pages 373-394

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History

  • Receive Date: 19 July 2021
  • Revise Date: 14 November 2021
  • Accept Date: 04 December 2021

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