A micro-mechanical compaction model for granular mix of soft and rigid particles

Abstract

We use bi-dimensional non-smooth contact dynamics simulations to analyze the isotropic compaction of mixtures composed of rigid and deformable incompressible particles. Deformable particles are modeled using the finite-element method and following a hyper-elastic neo-Hookean constitutive law. The evolution of the packing fraction, bulk modulus, and particle connectivity, beyond the jamming point, are characterized as a function of the applied stresses for a different proportion of rigid/soft particles and two values of friction coefficient. Based on the granular stress tensor, a micro-mechanical expression for the evolution of the packing fraction and the bulk modulus are proposed. This expression is based on the evolution of the particle connectivity together with the bulk behavior of a single representative deformable particle. A constitutive compaction equation is then introduced, set by well-defined physical quantities, given a direct prediction of the maximum packing fraction $\phi_{max}$ as a function of the proportion of rigid/soft particles.