Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A numerical examination of the hollow cylindrical torsional shear test using DEM

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Acta Geotechnica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents results of three-dimensional simulations of the hollow cylindrical torsional shear test using the discrete element method. Three typical stress states that can be applied in the hollow cylindrical apparatus (HCA), i.e. triaxial, torsional compression and pure torsional, are examined in terms of the distributions of stresses and strains in the HCA sample. The initiation and propagation of the shear bands in the sample were characterized by porosity and shear strain rate distributions in the sample. The results show that the shear strain rate contour is a better indicator for shear band development than the porosity contours. It is demonstrated that the stresses and strains measured in the shear zone are significantly different from the boundary measurements and the average values used in HCA testing. Initially, the peak strength measured from the boundary forces was found to be slightly lower than that measured in the shear band. Subsequently, due to the formation of shear band, the stress ratio from boundary forces decreased significantly especially when the major principal stress is oriented 30° and 45° from the vertical. The evolutions of porosity, coordination number and particle rotation at different locations in the sample were also monitored. Finally, the appropriateness of the HCA is evaluated in comparison with previously published data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22
Fig. 23

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bardet JP, Proubet P (1992) A numerical investigation of the structure of persistent shear bands in granular media. Geotechnique 41(4):599–613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bardet J, Proubet J (1992) A shear band analysis in idealized granular materials. J Eng Mech ASCE 118(2):397–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bardet JP (1994) Observations on the effects of particle rotations on the failure of idealized granular materials. Mech Mater 18:159–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Desrues J (1984) Localization de la deformation plastique dans les mattriaux granulaires. Universite de Grenoble, Thesed’Ctat

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gutierrez M, Ishihara K, Towhata I (1991) Flow theory for sand during rotation of principal stress direction. Soils Found 31(4):121–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Gutierrez M, Ishihara K (2000) Non-coaxiality and energy dissipation in granular material. Soils Found 40(3):49–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hight DW, Gens A, Symes MJ (1983) The development of a new hollow cylinder apparatus for investigating the effects of principal stress potation in soils. Geotechnique 33(4):355–383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Iwashita K, Oda M (2000) Rolling resistance at contacts in simulation of shear band development by DEM. J Eng Mech 124(3):285–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Li XS, Dafalias YF (2004) A constitutive framework for anisotropic sand including non-proportional loading. Geotechnique 54(1):41–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Li B, Guo L, Zhang F (2013) Macro-micro investigation of granular material in complex stress state. J South Central Univ (accepted for publication)

  11. Lade PV, Namb J, Hong WP (2008) Shear banding and cross anisotropic behavior observed in sand tests with stress rotation torsion shear tests. Comput Geotech 45:74–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lade PV, Namb J, Hong WP (2009) Interpretation of strains in torsion shear tests. Comput Geotech 36:211–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Naughton PJ, O’Kelly BC (2007) Stress non-uniformity in a hollow cylinder torsional sand specimen. Geomech Geoeng 2(2):117–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Ng TT (2001) Fabric evolution of ellipsoidal arrays with different particle shapes. J Eng Mech 127(10):994–999

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Ni Q, Powrie W, Zhang X, Harkness R (2000) Effect of particle properties on soil behaviour: 3-D numerical modeling of shear box tests. In: Proceedings of GeoDenver 2000, ASCE, Reston, VA, pp 58–70

  16. Oda M (1977) Coordination number and its relation to shear strength of granular materials. Soils Found 17(2):29–42

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  17. Oda M, Konishi J, Nemat-Nasser S (1982) Experimental micromechanical evaluation of the strength of granular materials: effects of particle rolling. Mech Mater 1:269–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Oda M, Kazama H (1998) Microstructure of shear bands and its relation to the mechanism of dilatancy and failure of dense granular soils. Soils Found 48(4):465–481

    Google Scholar 

  19. Porovic E (1995) Investigations of soil behaviour using a resonant column torsional shear hollow cylinder apparatus. PhD. Thesis, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London

  20. Pradel D, Ishihara K, Gutierrez M (1990) Yielding and flow of sand under principal stress axes rotation. Soils Found 30(1):87–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Rolo R (2003) The anisotropic stress-strain-strength behaviour of brittle sediments. PhD. Thesis, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London

  22. Roscoe KH (1970) The influence of strains in soil mechanics, 10th rankine lecture. Geotechnique 20(2):129–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Saada AS, Townsend FC (1981) State of the art: laboratory strength testing of soils. Lab Shear Strength Soil ASTM STP 740:7–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Saada AS (1988) Hollow cylinder devices: their advantages and limitations. Adv Triaxial Test Soils Rocks ASTM STP 977:766–795

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Saada AS, Liang L, Figueroa JL, Cope CT (1994) Cracks, bifurcation and shear band propagation in saturated clay. Geotechnique 44(1):35–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Saada AS, Liang L, Figueroa JL, Cope CT (1999) Bifurcation and shear band propagation in sands. Geotechnique 49(3):367–385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Sayão A, Vaid YP (1991) A critical assessment of stress non-uniformities in hollow cylinder test specimens. Soils Found 31(1):61–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Symes MJ, Hight DW, Gens A (1982) Investigation anisotropy and the effects of principal stress rotation and of the intermediate principal stress using a hollow cylinder apparatus. In: IUTAM conference on deformation and failure of granular materials. Delft, pp 441–449

  29. Symes MJ, Gens A, Hight DW (1984) Undrained anisotropy and principal stress rotation in saturated sand. Géotechnique 34(1):11–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Symes MJ, Gens A, Hight DW (1988) Drained principal stress rotation in saturated sand. Geotechnique 38(1):59–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Thornton C, Zhang L (2003) Numerical simulations of the direct shear test. Chem Eng Technol 26(2):153–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Vaid YP, Sayao A, Hou E, Neussey D (1990) Generalized stress-path-dependent soil behaviour with a new hollow cylinder torsional apparatus. Can Geotech J 27(5):601–616

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Vardoulakis I, Graf B, Hettler A (1985) Shear band formation in a fine grained sand. In: Proceedings of 5th international conference on numerical methods geomechanics, Balkema, Nagoya, Rotterdam, 1, 517–521

  34. Wang LB, Frost JD, Lai JS (2004) Three-dimensional digital representation of granular material microstructure from X-Ray tomography imaging. J Comput Civil Eng 18(1):28–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Wang J, Gutierrez M (2010) Discrete element simulations of the direct shear specimen scale effects. Geotechnique 60(5):395–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Yan WM, Zhang L (2013) Fabric and the critical state of idealized granular assemblages subject to biaxial shear. Comper Geotech 49:43–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Yimsiri S, Soga K (2010) DEM analysis of soil fabric effects on the behaviour of sand. Geotechnique 60(6):483–495

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Zdravkovic L, Jardine RJ (2001) The effect on anisotropy of rotating the principal stress axes during consolidation. Geotechnique 51(1):69–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Zhang L, Thornton C (2007) A numerical examination of the direct shear test. Geotechnique 57(4):343–354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Zhao X, Evans TM (2009) Discrete simulations of laboratory loading conditions. Int J Geomech 9(4):169–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The work reported here is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41202186, 11372228), the Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation (No. LQ12E08007) and partially Ministry of Housing and Urban- Rural Development of People's Republic of China (2013-K3-28). The authors would like to express their appreciation to the financial assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325000, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Li

  2. Itasca Houston, Inc., Itasca, TX, USA

    Fengshou Zhang

  3. Department of Civil, Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Marte Gutierrez

  4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, 80401, USA

    Marte Gutierrez

Authors
  1. Bo Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fengshou Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marte Gutierrez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bo Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, B., Zhang, F. & Gutierrez, M. A numerical examination of the hollow cylindrical torsional shear test using DEM. Acta Geotech. 10, 449–467 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-014-0329-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-014-0329-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation