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Force chain collapse as grain column buckling in granular materials

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Abstract

Granular materials react under external loading by self-organizing the topology of the grain assembly. Thus, quasi-linear grain patterns, known as force chains, develop within the assembly to carry the main part of the external loading. The stability of these grain patterns controls the strength of the material, under given loading conditions. This manuscript investigates the mechanical behavior of such grain columns and exhibits some instability modes that can occur even when the local behavior at the contact between grains is purely elastic. First, an analytical approach is developed, and the ability of a grain column to collapse is demonstrated. Then this result is confirmed from numerical simulations performed using a discrete element method.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to the French Research Network MeGe (Multiscale and multi-physics couplings in geo-environmental mechanics GDR CNRS 3176/2340, 2008-2015) for having supported this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Grenoble-Alpes, IRSTEA, ETNA – Geomechanics Group, Grenoble, France

    François Nicot, Hao Xiong & Antoine Wautier

  2. Laboratoire IBISC, Université d’Evry Val d’Essonne, UFR Sciences et Technologie, Evry, France

    Jean Lerbet

  3. Université Grenoble-Alpes, Lab. Sols Solides Structures Risques, UJF-INPG-CNRS, Grenoble, France

    Félix Darve

  4. AgroParisTech-ENGREF, 19 avenue du Maine, 75732, Paris, France

    Antoine Wautier

  5. IRSTEA, UR RECOVER, 3275 Rte Cézanne, CS 40061, 13182, Aix-en-Provence Cedex 5, France

    Antoine Wautier

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  1. François Nicot
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  2. Hao Xiong
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  3. Antoine Wautier
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  4. Jean Lerbet
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  5. Félix Darve
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Correspondence to François Nicot.

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Nicot, F., Xiong, H., Wautier, A. et al. Force chain collapse as grain column buckling in granular materials. Granular Matter 19, 18 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-017-0702-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-017-0702-0

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