Discrete simulation and micromechanical analysis of two-dimensional saturated granular media

In this study, a novel approach to incorporate the pore water pressure in the discrete element method （DEM） to comprehensively model saturated granular media was developed. A numerical model was constructed based on the DEM by implanting additional routines in the basic DEM code; pore water pressure calculations were used with a two-dimensional （2D） model to simulate the undrained behavior of satu- rated granular media. This model coupled the interaction of solid particles and the pore fluid in saturated granular media. Finally, several 2D undrained shear tests were simulated. The test results showed that the model could predict the response of the saturated granular soil to shear loading. The effect of initial compaction was investigated. Biaxial tests on dense and loose specimens were conducted, and the effect of the initial density on the change in shear strength and the volume change of the system was inves- tigated. The overall behavior of loose and dense specimens was phenomenologically similar to the real granular material. Constant volume tests were simulated, and the results were compared to those from the coupled model. Induced anisotropy was micromechanically investigated by studying the contact force orientation. The change in anisotropy depended on the modeling scheme. However, the overall responses of the media obtained usinz the couoled and constant volume methods were similar.     

Particle dynamics in dense shear granular flow

The particle dynamics in an annular shear granular flow is studied using the discrete element method, and the influences of packing fraction, shear rate and friction coefficient are analyzed. We demonstrate the existence of a critical packing fraction exists in the shear granular flow. When the packing fraction is lower than this critical value, the mean tangential velocity profile exhibits a rate-independent feature. However, when the packing fraction exceeds this critical value, the tangential velocity profile becomes rate-dependent and varies gradually from linear to nonlinear with increasing shear rate. Furthermore, we find a continuous transition from the unjammed state to the jammed state in a shear granular flow as the packing fraction increases. In this transforming process, the force distribution varies distinctly and the contact force network also exhibits different features.     

Assessing mixing characteristics of particle-mixing and granulation devices

The mixing of particulates such as powders is an important process in many industries including pharmaceuticals, plastics, household products （such as detergents） and food processing. The quality of products depends on the degree of mixing of their constituent materials which in turn depends on both geometric design and operating conditions. Unfortunately, due to lack of understanding of the interaction between mixer geometry and the granular material, limited progress has been made in optimizing mixer design. The discrete element method （DEM） is a computational technique that allows particle systems to be simulated and mixing to be predicted. Simulation is an effective way of acquiring information on the performance of different mixers that is difficult and/or expensive to obtain using traditional experimental approaches. Here we demonstrate how DEM can be used to unravel flow dynamics and assess mixing in several different types of devices. These devices used for mixing and/or granulation of particulates, are classified broadly as gravity controlled, bladed and high shear. We also explore the role of particle shape in mixing performance and use DEM to test whether Froude number scaling is suitable for predicting scale performance of rotating mixers.     

ELASTO-PLASTIC CONSTITUTIVE MODEL OF SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERFACE IN CONSIDERATION OF STRAIN SOFTENING AND DILATION

The behavior of soil-structure interface plays a major role in the definition of soil-structure interaction. In this paper a bi-potential surface elasto-plastic model for soil-structure interface is proposed in order to describe the interface deformation behavior,including strain softening and normal dilatancy. The model is formulated in the framework of generalized potential theory,in which the soil-structure interface problem is regard as a two-dimensional mathematical problem in stress field,and plastic state equations are used to replace the traditional field surface. The relation curves of shear stress and tangential strain are fitted by a piecewise function composed by hyperbolic functions and hyperbolic secant functions,while the relation curves of normal strain and tangential strain are fitted by another piecewise function composed by quadratic functions and hyperbolic secant functions. The approach proposed has the advantage of deriving an elastoplastic constitutive matrix without postulating the plastic potential functions and yield surface. Moreover,the mathematical principle is clear,and the entire model parameters can be identified by experimental tests. Finally,the predictions of the model have been compared with experimental results obtained from simple shear tests under normal stresses,and results show the model is reasonable and practical.     

DISCRETE AND CONTINUUM MODELLING OF GRANULAR FLOW

This paper analyses three popular methods simulating granular flow at different time and length scales： discrete element method （DEM）, averaging method and viscous, elastic-plastic continuum model. The theoretical models of these methods and their applications to hopper flows are discussed. It is shown that DEM is an effective method to study the fundamentals of granular flow at a particle or microscopic scale. By use of the continuum approach, granular flow can also be described at a continuum or macroscopic scale. Macroscopic quantities such as velocity and stress can be obtained by use of such computational method as FEM. However, this approach depends on the constitutive relationship of materials and ignores the effect of microscopic structure of granular flow. The combined approach of DEM and averaging method can overcome this problem. The approach takes into account the discrete nature of granular materials and does not require any global assumption and thus allows a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of granular flow. However, it is difficult to adapt this approach to process modelling because of the limited number of particles which can be handled with the present computational capacity, and the difficulty in handling non-spherical particles. Further work is needed to develoo an aoorooriate aooroach to overcome these problems.     

A study of influence of gravity on bulk behaviour of particulate solid

This paper examines the influence of gravity on the bulk responses of a granular solid. The loading scenarios in this study include confined compression, rod penetration into a granular medium and discharging through an orifice. Similar loading and flow conditions are likely to be encountered in the stress and deformation regimes that regoliths are subjected to in extraterrestrial exploration activities including in situ resource utilisation processes. Both spherical and non-spherical particles were studied using the discrete element method （DEM）. Whilst DEM is increasingly used to model granular solids, careful validations of the simulation outcomes are rather rare. Thus in addition to exploring the effect of gravity, this paper also compares DEM simulations with experiments under terrestrial condition to verify whether DEM can produce satisfactory predictions. The terrestrial experiments were conducted with great care and simulated closely using DEM. The key mechanical and geometrical properties for the particles were measured in laboratory tests for use in the DEM simulations. A series of DEM computations were then performed under reduced gravity to simulate these experiments under extraterrestrial environment. It was found that gravity has no noticeable effect on the force transmission in the confined compression case; the loading gradient in the rod penetration is linearly proportional to the gravity; the mass flow rate in silo discharge is proportional to square root of the gravity and the angle of repose increases with reducing gravity. These findings are in agreement with expectation and existing scientific evidence.     

A NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN HOPPER FLOW

The stress distributions of granular flow in a cylindrical hopper with fiat bottom are investigated by means of a combined approach of discrete element method (DEM) and averaging method. The filling and discharge of the hopper flow are first simulated at a particle level by means of a modified DEM. The results are then used to determine the velocity and stress profiles of the hopper flow by means of an averaging method. The analysis is focused on a central section plane of the hopper due to the relatively perfect axial symmetry. The velocity profiles are illustrated to be consistent with those obtained by the previous experiments, confirming the validity of the proposed approach. The distributions of four components of the planar stress tensor at different heights are quantified. It is shown that the vertical normal stress increases with increasing the height near the central axis, the horizontal normal stress varies more slowly at a higher level and is almost constant when the height is equal to or greater than about 12 particle diameter, and the magnitudes of two shear stresses are equal at the central zone of the hopper but not so at the points near the walls. The dependence of stress distributions on the wall mechanical properties such as sliding resistance and rolling resistance is also discussed.     

WET-GRANULATION RESEARCH WITH APPLICATION TO SCALE-UP

Summary Granulation is a unit operation by which larger granules are produced from fine, powdery particles to improve appearance, flow properties and mixedness, reduce dustiness and, in general, produce engineered particles with superior attributes. Agglomeration in wet granulation is achieved by introducing a “binder” fluid onto a shearing mass of fine powders. This paper gives a general overview of the process with emphasis on a simplified granulation model based on a dimensionless parameter containing inertia and viscous dissipation energies between colliding particles: the so-celled Stokes number. The model incorporates most common features of all granulation devices (mixers) used in the pharmaceutical industry.Also described in the paper is a computer simulation that captures the movement of flowing powder in an ideal mixer-granu/ator with constant shear rate. A fraction of the total number of particles is wet (covered by binder and there-fore “sticky”) while the rest of the particles are dry. The numerical simulation depicts two distinct regimes of agglomeration found in a typical granulator: granule growth and subsequent breakup. During granule growth-simulations, final granule size and shape distributions are obtained by analyzing the size and shape of formed granules using a pattern-recognition technique. A second kind of simulation, also using rapid granular flow modeling, follows the rotation and deformation of an “agglomerate” held together by a liquid binder. Results from these simulations yield critical values of the Stokes number. Below the cdticel value, the agglomerates are stable and only rotate in response to shear while above the critical value they break into two or more pieces. At the critical value, they attain a steady elongated shape. Using values of the critical Stokes number, the model predicts the size of formed granules.The existence of the critical state in which granules attain a characteristic elongated shape is used to measure shear forces in a granulator by employing calibrated “test” particles of known strength. This knowledge is employed in granulation scale-up to determine a kinematic rule that conserves stresses in the small and the large-scale machines. It was found that conserving the magnitude of internal stresses in the moving powder yields granules with similar attributes in granulators of different size.     

LUBRICATION ANALYSIS OF A CELL SLIDING INTO A CIRCULAR PORE

The resistance to the blood cells at the entrance to capillaries and membrane porescontributes considerably to the peripheral resistance in the blood circulation.This paperproposes,for the first time,a simplified mechanical model in an attempt to treat theaxisymmetric motion of a cell sliding into a circular pore.In this model,the shape of the cellis taken as given according to the microvideograph and the cell membrane is assumed toslide over its surface.The lubrication theory is applied to the thin layers of plasma betweenthe membrane and the pore wall,yielding the pressure and shear stress distributions over themembrane as well as the resultant drag exerted on the cell.Our computations havesimulated the process of the cell entering the pore,which is in qualitative agreement with themicrovideographic observations.     

Dynamic analysis on generalized linear elastic body subjected to large scale rigid rotations

The dynamic analysis of a generalized linear elastic body undergoing large rigid rotations is investigated. The generalized linear elastic body is described in kine- matics through translational and rotational deformations, and a modified constitutive relation for the rotational deformation is proposed between the couple stress and the curvature tensor. Thus, the balance equations of momentum and moment are used for the motion equations of the body. The floating frame of reference formulation is applied to the elastic body that conducts rotations about a fixed axis. The motion-deformation coupled model is developed in which three types of inertia forces along with their incre- ments are elucidated. The finite element governing equations for the dynamic analysis of the elastic body under large rotations are subsequently formulated with the aid of the constrained variational principle. A penalty parameter is introduced, and the rotational angles at element nodes are treated as independent variables to meet the requirement of C1 continuity. The elastic body is discretized through the isoparametric element with 8 nodes and 48 degrees-of-freedom. As an example with an application of the motion- deformation coupled model, the dynamic analysis on a rotating cantilever with two spatial layouts relative to the rotational axis is numerically implemented. Dynamic frequencies of the rotating cantilever are presented at prescribed constant spin velocities. The maximal rigid rotational velocity is extended for ensuring the applicability of the linear model. A complete set of dynamical response of the rotating cantilever in the case of spin-up maneuver is examined, it is shown that, under the ultimate rigid rotational velocities less than the maximal rigid rotational velocity, the stress strength may exceed the material strength tolerance even though the displacement and rotational angle responses are both convergent. The influence of the cantilever layouts on their responses and the multiple displacement trajectories observed in the floating frame is simultaneously investigated. The motion-deformation coupled model is surely expected to be applicable for a broad range of practical applications.     

A numerical analysis of the shear behavior of granular soil with fines

Shear behavior of granular soil with fines is investigated using the discrete element method(DEM) and particle arrangements and inter-particle contacts during shear are examined.The DEM simulation reveals that fine particles play a vital role in the overall response of granular soil to shearing.The occurrence of liquefaction and temporary reduction of strength is ascribed mainly to the loss of support from the fine particle contacts(S-S) and fine particle-to-large particle contacts(S-L) as a consequence of the removal of fine particles from the load-carrying skeleton.The dilative strain-hardening response following the strain-softening response is associated with the migration of fine particles back into the load-carrying skeleton,which is thought to enhance the stiffness of the soil skeleton.During shear,the unit normal vector of the large particle-to-large particle(L-L) contact has the strongest fabric anisotropy,and the S-S contact unit normal vector possesses the weakest anisotropy,suggesting that the large particles play a dominant role in carrying the shear load.It is also found that,during shear,fine particles are prone to rolling at contacts while the large particles are prone to sliding,mainly at the S-L and L-L contacts.     

DEM investigation on the effect of sample preparation on the shear behavior of granular soil

The effect of initial fabric anisotropy produced by sample preparation on the shear behavior of granular soil is investigated by performing discrete element method (DEM) simulations of fourteen biaxial tests in drained conditions. Numerical test specimens are prepared by three means: gravitational deposition, multi-layer compression, and isotropic compression, such that different initial inherent soil fabrics are created. The DEM simulation results show that initial fabric anisotropy exerts a considerable effect on the shear behavior of granular soil, and that the peak stress ratio and peak dilatancy increase with an increase in the fabric index a_n that is estimated from the contact orientations. The stress–dilatancy relationship is found to be independent of the initial fabric anisotropy. The anisotropy related to the contact orientation and contact normal force accounts for the main contribution to the mobilized friction angle. Also, the occurrence of contractive shear response in an initial shearing stage is accompanied by the most intense particle rearrangement and microstructural reorganization, regardless of the sample preparation method. Furthermore, the uniqueness of the critical state line in e–log p′ and q–p′ plots is observed, suggesting that the influence of initial fabric anisotropy is erased at large shear strains.     

Discrete element modeling of inherently anisotropic granular assemblies with polygonal particles

In the present article, we study the effect of inherent anisotropy, i.e., initial bedding angle of particles and associated voids on macroscopic mechanical behavior of granular materials, by numerical simulation of several biaxial compression tests using the discrete element method (DEM). Particle shape is considered to be irregular convex-polygonal. The effect of inherent anisotropy is investigated by following the evolution of mobilized shear strength and volume change during loading. As experimental tests have already shown, numerical simulations also indicate that initial anisotropic condition has a great influence on the strength and deformational behavior of granular assemblies. Comparison of simulations with tests using oval particles, shows that angularity influences both the mobilized shear strength and the volume change regime, which originates from the interlocking resistance between particles.     

Discrete simulation and micromechanical analysis of two-dimensional saturated granular media

In this study, a novel approach to incorporate the pore water pressure in the discrete element method (DEM) to comprehensively model saturated granular media was developed. A numerical model was constructed based on the DEM by implanting additional routines in the basic DEM code; pore water pressure calculations were used with a two-dimensional (2D) model to simulate the undrained behavior of saturated granular media. This model coupled the interaction of solid particles and the pore fluid in saturated granular media. Finally, several 2D undrained shear tests were simulated. The test results showed that the model could predict the response of the saturated granular soil to shear loading. The effect of initial compaction was investigated. Biaxial tests on dense and loose specimens were conducted, and the effect of the initial density on the change in shear strength and the volume change of the system was investigated. The overall behavior of loose and dense specimens was phenomenologically similar to the real granular material. Constant volume tests were simulated, and the results were compared to those from the coupled model. Induced anisotropy was micromechanically investigated by studying the contact force orientation. The change in anisotropy depended on the modeling scheme. However, the overall responses of the media obtained using the coupled and constant volume methods were similar.     

Modeling liquefaction of water saturated granular material under undrained cyclic shearing

The tendency of particles in a water-saturated granular mass to re-arrange into a denser state during cyclic shearing under pressure results in an increase in pore water pressure. The increase in the pore water pressure causes a reduction in the inner particle contact forces, and in turn easier re-arrangement of the particles. Eventually, the material loses its shear strength, partially or almost completely. In this paper, a general three-dimensional continuum mechanics model is presented for the deformation of granular materials. A physically based model is also presented for characterization of liquefaction of the water saturated granular material under undrained cyclic shearing. The model incorporates the fabric of the granular mass, which develops as the frictional granular mass is deformed in shear. It includes the coupling between shearing and excess pore water pressure. The model parameters are estimated, based on the results of cyclic shearing experiments on large hollow cylindrical samples of silica sand. Basically, the calculation results utilizing this model can embody liquefaction phenomena of the water saturated granular material under undrained cyclic shearing.     

Implementation of rotational resistance models: A critical appraisal

Contact models that simulate rotational resistance at particle contacts have been proposed as a means to capture the effect of shape in DEM simulations. This contribution critically explores some key issues related to the implementation of rotational resistance models; these include the need for physically meaningful model parameters, the impact of the model on the overall numerical stability/critical time increment for the DEM model, model validation, and the assessment of model performance relative to real physical materials. The discussion is centred around a rotational resistance model that captures the resistance provided by interlocking asperities on the particle surface. An expression for the maximum permissible integration time step to ensure numerical stability is derived for DEM simulations when rotational resistance is incorporated. Analytical solutions for some single-contact scenarios are derived for model validation. The ability of this type of model to provide additional fundamental insight into granular material behaviour is demonstrated using particle-scale analysis of triaxial compression simulations to examine the roles that contact rolling and sliding have on the stability of strong force chains.     

非均匀颗粒材料的类固-液相变行为及本构方程

以非均匀颗粒介质为研究对象，采用三维离散元方法对其在不同密集度和剪切速率下的动 力过程进行了数值模拟，分析了其在由瞬时接触的快速流动向持续接触的准静态流动的转变 过程及其行为特点. 通过对不同材料性质下相变过渡区内颗粒材料的宏观应力、接触时间数、 配位数、团聚颗粒数量、有效摩擦系数等参量的计算，更加全面地描述了非均匀颗粒材料在 类固-液相变过程中的基本特征. 基于以上数值计算结果，建立了一个适用于颗粒材料 类固态、类液态以及其相变过程的本构方程，并通过剪切室实验结果验证了它的合理性.     

The role of a realistic volume constraint in modelling a two dimensional granular assembly

This paper presents a deceptively simple mathematical model for the deformation of granular materials composed of rigid particles. The model captures many of the diverse features of the behaviour of such a material and emphasises the importance of volume constraints in situations where the deformation is mainly by particle rearrangement. It is constructed using a simple dissipation function and a rather more complicated dilatancy rule containing an updateable reference strain. This allows the solid-like and fluid-like properties of granular materials to be reconciled in a single model.The model has been used to simulate experiments that use an analogue of an ideal granular material [Joer, H.A., Lanier, J., Fahey, M., 1998. Deformation of granular materials due to rotation of principal axes. Geotechnique 48 (5), 605-619] consisting of a two dimensional assembly of thin PVC rods. These experiments clearly illustrate: partially reversible dilatancy in direct shear tests; cyclic shearing leading to liquefaction in constant volume shear tests; and non-coaxiality of the principal axes of stress and strain increment in circular loading tests. These radically different modes of deformation provide a challenging data set that allows the model's potential to be clearly demonstrated.The authors believe that the comparison of these experimental results and our simulations give strong support to the assertion that volume changes associated with shear deformation are responsible for the rotational kinematic hardening seen in granular materials, and hence, the non-coaxiality of the stress and strain-rate tensors.