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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2017) | Viewed by 58321

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Prof. Dr. Sinisa Dj. Mesarovic

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School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Washington State University, PO Box 642920, Pullman, Washington, DC 99164-2920, USA
Interests: plasticity of crystals and interfaces; granular materials; coupled problems with moving boundaries; multiscale/multiphysics models
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Dear Colleagues,

Almost two and a half centuries after Coulomb’s first investigations, granular materials still elude full understanding. The disorder in a granular assembly with apparent partial ordering (force chains, fabric), variety of particle shapes and size statistics, as well as the highly constrained kinematics of densely packed particles defy our attempts to formulate a predictive theory, capable of describing dilatancy, shear localization, flow patterns and transition from solid-like (jammed) state to fluid-like flow. Recent advances in experimental techniques and computing power enable more accurate observations and analysis of the particle-scale phenomena and their effects on the collective behaviour.

The problems in granular materials have engaged multiple scientific communities: Engineers, physicists and mathematicians. The Special Issue on “Granular Materials” is intended as a multi-disciplinary forum to present the current state-of-the-art and recent advances, as well as to suggest the future directions. Experimental, computational and theoretical contributions are invited. Of particular interest are the contributions, which provide understanding of micro-scale mechanisms and/or enable their description within meso-scale models.

The list of keywords given below provides brief summary of the open issues. The list is illustrative and the contributions are not limited to these topics.

Prof. Dr. Sinisa Dj. Mesarovic
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Dilatancy and Critical state
Force chains and Anisotropy
Particle kinematics and Collective behaviour
Jamming and flow of granular assemblies
Packing

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

473 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effective Thermal Expansion Property of Consolidated Granular Materials

by Gülşad Küçük, Marcial Gonzalez and Alberto M. Cuitiño

Materials 2017, 10(11), 1289; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10111289 - 09 Nov 2017

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3899

Abstract

Thermally-assisted compaction of granular materials is of keen interest in many engineering applications. A proper estimation of the material behavior of compacted granular materials is contingent upon the knowledge of microstructure formation, which is highly dependent on the bulk material properties and processing conditions, during the deformation stage. Originating from the pair interactions between particles, the macroscopic properties are obtained using various homogenization techniques and postulating continuum constitutive laws. While pioneers in this field have laid fundamental groundwork regarding effective medium descriptions, there exists a discrepancy between discrete and continuum level solutions. In our previous work, we elaborated a Particle Mechanics Approach (PMA) that integrates thermal contact and Hertzian deformation models to understand the thermo-mechanically-coupled consolidation problem. We also considered the analogous problem from the perspective of the conventional Continuum Mechanics Approach (CMA). In this study, following the multi-scale modeling framework, we propose an effective thermal expansion coefficient for the thermally-assisted compaction of granular materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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18305 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Pore Size Distribution in Granular Material Microstructure

by M. Mahdi Roozbahani, Rodrigo Borela and J. David Frost

Materials 2017, 10(11), 1237; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10111237 - 27 Oct 2017

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 9842

Abstract

Pore scale modeling plays a key role in fluid flow through porous media and associated macroscale constitutive relationships. The polyhedral shape and effective local pore size within granular material microstructure are computed in this study by means of the Euclidean Distance Transform (EDT), a local maxima search (non-maximum suppression), and a segmentation process. Various synthetic packed particles are simulated and employed as comparative models during the computation of pore size distribution (PSD). Reconstructed un-sheared and sheared Ottawa 20–30 sand samples are used to compute PSD for non-trivial and non-spherical models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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4865 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Force Transmission Modes of Non-Cohesive and Cohesive Materials at the Critical State

by Ji-Peng Wang

Materials 2017, 10(9), 1014; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10091014 - 31 Aug 2017

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4519

Abstract

This paper investigates the force transmission modes, mainly described by probability density distributions, in non-cohesive dry and cohesive wet granular materials by discrete element modeling. The critical state force transmission patterns are focused on with the contact model effect being analyzed. By shearing relatively dense and loose dry specimens to the critical state in the conventional triaxial loading path, it is observed that there is a unique critical state force transmission mode. There is a universe critical state force distribution pattern for both the normal contact forces and tangential contact forces. Furthermore, it is found that using either the linear Hooke or the non-linear Hertz model does not affect the universe force transmission mode, and it is only related to the grain size distribution. Wet granular materials are also simulated by incorporating a water bridge model. Dense and loose wet granular materials are tested, and the critical state behavior for the wet material is also observed. The critical state strength and void ratio of wet granular materials are higher than those of a non-cohesive material. The critical state inter-particle distribution is altered from that of a non-cohesive material with higher probability in relatively weak forces. Grains in non-cohesive materials are under compressive stresses, and their principal directions are mainly in the axial loading direction. However, for cohesive wet granular materials, some particles are in tension, and the tensile stresses are in the horizontal direction on which the confinement is applied. The additional confinement by the tensile stress explains the macro strength and dilatancy increase in wet samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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8447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Quantified Characterization Method of the Micro-Macro Contacts of Three-Dimensional Granular Materials on the Basis of Graph Theory

by Yanpeng Guan, Enzhi Wang, Xiaoli Liu, Sijing Wang and Hebing Luan

Materials 2017, 10(8), 898; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10080898 - 03 Aug 2017

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3640

Abstract

We have attempted a multiscale and quantified characterization method of the contact in three-dimensional granular material made of spherical particles, particularly in cemented granular material. Particle contact is defined as a type of surface contact with voids in its surroundings, rather than a point contact. Macro contact is a particle contact set satisfying the restrictive condition of a two-dimensional manifold with a boundary. On the basis of graph theory, two dual geometrical systems are abstracted from the granular pack. The face and the face set, which satisfies the two-dimensional manifold with a boundary in the solid cell system, are extracted to characterize the particle contact and the macro contact, respectively. This characterization method is utilized to improve the post-processing in DEM (Discrete Element Method) from a micro perspective to describe the macro effect of the cemented granular material made of spherical particles. Since the crack has the same shape as its corresponding contact, this method is adopted to characterize the crack and realize its visualization. The integral failure route of the sample can be determined by a graph theory algorithm. The contact force is assigned to the weight value of the face characterizing the particle contact. Since the force vectors can be added, the macro contact force can be solved by adding the weight of its corresponding faces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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5248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact Load Behavior between Different Charge and Lifter in a Laboratory-Scale Mill

by Zixin Yin, Yuxing Peng, Zhencai Zhu, Zhangfa Yu and Tongqing Li

Materials 2017, 10(8), 882; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10080882 - 31 Jul 2017

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5832

Abstract

The impact behavior between the charge and lifter has significant effect to address the mill processing, and is affected by various factors including mill speed, mill filling, lifter height and media shape. To investigate the multi-body impact load behavior, a series of experiments and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations were performed on a laboratory-scale mill, in order to improve the grinding efficiency and prolong the life of the lifter. DEM simulation hitherto has been extensively applied as a leading tool to describe diverse issues in granular processes. The research results shown as follows: The semi-empirical power draw of Bond model in this paper does not apply very satisfactorily for the ball mills, while the power draw determined by DEM simulation show a good approximation for the measured power draw. Besides, the impact force on the lifter was affected by mill speed, grinding media filling, lifter height and iron ore particle. The maximum percent of the impact force between 600 and 1400 N is at 70–80% of critical speed. The impact force can be only above 1400 N at the grinding media filling of 20%, and the maximum percent of impact force between 200 and 1400 N is obtained at the grinding media filling of 20%. The percent of impact force ranging from 0 to 200 N decreases with the increase of lifter height. However, this perfect will increase above 200 N. The impact force will decrease when the iron ore particles are added. Additionally, for the 80% of critical speed, the measured power draw has a maximum value. Increasing the grinding media filling increases the power draw and increasing the lifter height does not lead to any variation in power draw. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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1825 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On Critical States, Rupture States and Interlocking Strength of Granular Materials

by Chris M. Szalwinski

Materials 2017, 10(8), 865; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10080865 - 27 Jul 2017

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5703

Abstract

The Mohr-Coulomb theory of strength identifies cohesion and internal friction as the two principal contributions to the shear strength of a granular material. The contribution of cohesion in over-compacted granular materials has been challenged and replacing cohesion with interlocking has been proposed. A theory of rupture strength that includes interlocking is derived herein. The physics-chemistry concept of critical state is elaborated to accommodate granular materials, based on empirical definitions established in the fields of soil mechanics and bulk solids’ flow. A surface in state space, called the critical compaction surface, separates over-compacted states from lightly compacted states. The intersection of this surface with the Mohr-Coulomb envelope forms the critical state surface for a granular material. The rupture strength of an over-compacted granular material is expressed as the sum of cohesion, internal friction and interlocking strength. Interlocking strength is the shear strength contribution due to over-compaction and vanishes at critical state. The theory allows migrations from one critical state to another. Changes in specific volume during such migrations are related to changes in mean-normal effective stress and uncoupled from changes in shearing strain. The theory is reviewed with respect to two established research programs and underlying assumptions are identified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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Open AccessArticle

The Use of Empirical Methods for Testing Granular Materials in Analogue Modelling

by Domenico Montanari, Andrea Agostini, Marco Bonini, Giacomo Corti and Chiara Del Ventisette

Materials 2017, 10(6), 635; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10060635 - 09 Jun 2017

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 6662

Abstract

The behaviour of a granular material is mainly dependent on its frictional properties, angle of internal friction, and cohesion, which, together with material density, are the key factors to be considered during the scaling procedure of analogue models. The frictional properties of a granular material are usually investigated by means of technical instruments such as a Hubbert-type apparatus and ring shear testers, which allow for investigating the response of the tested material to a wide range of applied stresses. Here we explore the possibility to determine material properties by means of different empirical methods applied to mixtures of quartz and K-feldspar sand. Empirical methods exhibit the great advantage of measuring the properties of a certain analogue material under the experimental conditions, which are strongly sensitive to the handling techniques. Finally, the results obtained from the empirical methods have been compared with ring shear tests carried out on the same materials, which show a satisfactory agreement with those determined empirically. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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3674 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Stability Analysis Method of the Cohesive Granular Slope on the Basis of Graph Theory

by Yanpeng Guan, Xiaoli Liu, Enzhi Wang and Sijing Wang

Materials 2017, 10(3), 240; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10030240 - 27 Feb 2017

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4488

Abstract

This paper attempted to provide a method to calculate progressive failure of the cohesivefrictional granular geomaterial and the spatial distribution of the stability of the cohesive granular slope. The methodology can be divided into two parts: the characterization method of macro-contact and the analysis of the slope stability. Based on the graph theory, the vertexes, the edges and the edge sequences are abstracted out to characterize the voids, the particle contact and the macro-contact, respectively, bridging the gap between the mesoscopic and macro scales of granular materials. This paper adopts this characterization method to extract a graph from a granular slope and characterize the macro sliding surface, then the weighted graph is analyzed to calculate the slope safety factor. Each edge has three weights representing the sliding moment, the anti-sliding moment and the braking index of contact-bond, respectively, . The safety factor of the slope is calculated by presupposing a certain number of sliding routes and reducing Weight repeatedly and counting the mesoscopic failure of the edge. It is a kind of slope analysis method from mesoscopic perspective so it can present more detail of the mesoscopic property of the granular slope. In the respect of macro scale, the spatial distribution of the stability of the granular slope is in agreement with the theoretical solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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5978 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation on Seismic Response of the Filled Joint under High Amplitude Stress Waves Using Finite-Discrete Element Method (FDEM)

by Xiaolin Huang, Qi Zhao, Shengwen Qi, Kaiwen Xia, Giovanni Grasselli and Xuguang Chen

Materials 2017, 10(1), 13; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma10010013 - 27 Dec 2016

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6502

Abstract

This paper numerically investigates the seismic response of the filled joint under high amplitude stress waves using the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM). A thin layer of independent polygonal particles are used to simulate the joint fillings. Each particle is meshed using the Delaunay triangulation scheme and can be crushed when the load exceeds its strength. The propagation of the 1D longitude wave through a single filled joint is studied, considering the influences of the joint thickness and the characteristics of the incident wave, such as the amplitude and frequency. The results show that the filled particles under high amplitude stress waves mainly experience three deformation stages: (i) initial compaction stage; (ii) crushing stage; and (iii) crushing and compaction stage. In the initial compaction stage and crushing and compaction stage, compaction dominates the mechanical behavior of the joint, and the particle area distribution curve varies little. In these stages, the transmission coefficient increases with the increase of the amplitude, i.e., peak particle velocity (PPV), of the incident wave. On the other hand, in the crushing stage, particle crushing plays the dominant role. The particle size distribution curve changes abruptly with the PPV due to the fragments created by the crushing process. This process consumes part of wave energy and reduces the stiffness of the filled joint. The transmission coefficient decreases with increasing PPV in this stage because of the increased amount of energy consumed by crushing. Moreover, with the increase of the frequency of the incident wave, the transmission coefficient decreases and fewer particles can be crushed. Under the same incident wave, the transmission coefficient decreases when the filled thickness increases and the filled particles become more difficult to be crushed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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7617 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Experimental Study of Mortars with Recycled Ceramic Aggregates: Deduction and Prediction of the Stress-Strain

by Francisca Guadalupe Cabrera-Covarrubias, José Manuel Gómez-Soberón, Jorge Luis Almaral-Sánchez, Susana Paola Arredondo-Rea, María Consolación Gómez-Soberón and Ramón Corral-Higuera

Materials 2016, 9(12), 1029; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma9121029 - 21 Dec 2016

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5836

Abstract

The difficult current environmental situation, caused by construction industry residues containing ceramic materials, could be improved by using these materials as recycled aggregates in mortars, with their processing causing a reduction in their use in landfill, contributing to recycling and also minimizing the consumption of virgin materials. Although some research is currently being carried out into recycled mortars, little is known about their stress-strain (σ-ε); therefore, this work will provide the experimental results obtained from recycled mortars with recycled ceramic aggregates (with contents of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 100%), such as the density and compression strength, as well as the σ-ε curves representative of their behavior. The values obtained from the analytical process of the results in order to finally obtain, through numerical analysis, the equations to predict their behavior (related to their recycled content) are those of: σ (elastic ranges and failure maximum), ε (elastic ranges and failure maximum), and Resilience and Toughness. At the end of the investigation, it is established that mortars with recycled ceramic aggregate contents of up to 20% could be assimilated just like mortars with the usual aggregates, and the obtained prediction equations could be used in cases of similar applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Granular Materials)

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