Contact Force Distribution and Induced Anisotropy in Granular Materials under Biaxial Test

Abstract

A 2-dimensional granular assembly, subjected to isotropic consolidation and biaxial compression, is simulated by applying discrete element method and the particle flow code of PFC2D. The contact force network and distribution are examined and compared to an analogous photoelastic experiment carried out by other studies. The current study shows that the assembly undergoes dilatation and strain-softening after peak strength, and the coordination number (average contact number of particles) increases a little in the initial stage of strain hardening followed by a sharp dropping before the onset of softening. This is correlated with the contact force chain establishment and the evolution of structural anisotropy. The distribution of the normal force and the ratio of tangential to normal force for both the isotropically compressed and sheared stages indicates that the strong normal contacts are crucial for the force chain transmitting stress through assembly. The angular distribution of the contact forces supported this point and could help visualizing the induced anisotropy. These issues are vital for gaining a deeper understanding of the macroscopic behavior of granular material from microscopic analysis.