Force chains and the fragmentation of granular materials

Luis E. Vallejo, Zamri Chik, Sebastian Lobo-Guerrero, Bernardo Caicedo

In the proceedings of: GEO2011: 64th Canadian Geotechnical Conference, 14th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 5th Pan-American Conference on Teaching and Learning of Geotechnical Engineering

Session: Laboratory Testing

ABSTRACT: In this study, the fragmentation of gravels is evaluated by uniaxial compression tests and by numerical and theoretical analyses. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) was used for the numerical analysis. Fractal theory was used to interpret the laboratory results. The laboratory and the DEM results indicated that the gravel under compression developed force chains in order to resist the uniaxial compressive loads. When the intensity of the force chains exceeded the uniaxial compressive strength of the individual pieces of gravel, the gravel broke into smaller pieces. The resulting grain size distribution was found to be fractal in nature.

RESUMEN: En este estudio, el fracturamiento de gravas es evaluado usando ensayos the compresión unidireccional, por simulaciones numéricas, y por un analisis teórico. Las simulaciones numéricas usan el Metodo de Elementos Discretos (DEM). La teoría de los fractales fue usada pra interpretar los resultados de laboratorio. Los experimentos y las simulaciones numéricas indicaron que la grava bajo compresión desarrollo cadenas de fuerza entre las particulas. Estadas cadenas de fuerza resisten la fuerza de compresión inducida a la grava. Cuando la intensidad de las cadenas de fuerza excede la resistencia a la compresión de la grava, esta se quiebra. La distribución del tamaño de granos despues de la compresión resulta ser fractal.

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