Numerical studies on the effect of grain crushing of idealized granular assemblies

摘要

Granular materials forming part of civil engineering structures are subjected to the static and dynamic loads. Some grains of the material are crushed under the action of loading. The effects of grain crushing on the overall behavior of the granular materials are investigated with numerical methods assuming that the materials are under the oedometer test and the plane strain shear test respectively. The granular material under investigation were assumed composed of idealized assemblies of equally sized cylindrical particles, one is assumed crushable and the other uncrushable. The compression and shearing process of the granular materials were studied. Due to grain crushing, shear strength envelope became nonlinear, and the behavior was no more physically isomorphous. The shear stress-strain curves have a sailient wavy feature indicating a periodic process of softening and hardening induced by the grain crushing. Grain crushing thus produces a qualitatively different geomaterial behaviour which may have serious consequences in engineering practice.