Abstract
Micromechanical and tribological studies of geological materials with a particular focus on their contact-mechanics behavior at the grain scale are currently a major interest in the engineering and geoscience disciplines. In this study, a new robust micromechanical apparatus developed at the City University of Hong Kong is described; it is capable of conducting inter-granule (or inter-particle) loading tests on fine gravel to ballast-sized materials of sizes as small as 5−10 mm to granules (or ballast) as big as 50 mm. The focus of our study is the description of the major technical features of the new apparatus and its performance and repeatability in conducting experiments on reference grains of chrome steel balls and glass balls; in addition, we conducted a preliminary set of experiments on crushed granitic rock, which is a material widely used in geotechnical and transportation infrastructure. The representative results of these experiments are presented in terms of the normal force-displacement relationship, friction, and tangential stiffness. The newly developed large-size apparatus is further compared with a well-established apparatus that can conduct micromechanical tests on sand-sized materials.
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Acknowledgements
The study was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Theme-based research project Scheme “Understanding Debris Flow Mechanisms and Mitigating Risks for a Sustainable Hong Kong” - Project No. T22-603/15 N (CityU 8779012)). Dr. M. C. Todisco is acknowledged for her contribution during the development of the apparatus as well as Prof. M. R. Coop for his kind suggestions and discussions throughout the development of the micromechanical apparatus at City University and his invaluable contribution in the development of the computer code used with the apparatus. Mr. Thomas Tsang (technician of City University) is greatly acknowledged for his patient and continuous technical support in the development of the new micromechanical apparatus.
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Chitta SAI SANDEEP. He received a bachelor degree in civil engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Kakinada in 2013 and a master degree in geotechnical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Guwahati) in 2016. He worked as a site engineer during the construction of the Delhi Metro railway. Currently, he is a PhD student at City University of Hong Kong, working under the supervision of Dr. Kostas Senetakis. His current research focuses on contact mechanics and the tribological study of various materials, particularly debris flow soils.
Kostas SENETAKIS. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at City University of Hong Kong. He holds a 5-year required Diploma in civil engineering and completed his MSc in earthquake engineering in 2006 and PhD in civil engineering in 2011, majoring in soil dynamics, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Prior to joining City University of Hong Kong as an academic, Dr. Senetakis worked for two years as a post-doctoral research fellow at City University of Hong Kong and three years as a lecturer in Thailand and Australia. Dr. Senetakis’s research focuses include experimental soil mechanics and dynamics, experimental micromechanics and tribology of non-conforming surfaces, and geo-synthetics and recycled aggregates in geotechnics. He made key contributions to fundamental studies on the stiffness and damping of granular materials, applications of dynamic test methods in the laboratory, and micromechanical studies on grain contact response and surface damage at the nano-to-micro level. He is the in-charge academic of the Soil Mechanics Laboratory of the City University of Hong Kong, which is one of the most advanced laboratories across the world in element testing and micromechanics.
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Sandeep, C.S., Senetakis, K. Micromechanical experiments using a new inter-granule loading apparatus on gravel to ballast-sized materials. Friction 8, 70–82 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-018-0243-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-018-0243-5