Continuum description for the characteristic resistance sensed by a cylinder colliding against granular medium

Abstract

In this paper, we experimentally and theoretically study the resistance force that develops when a cylinder with a flat face colliding against dry quartzite sand. Observations from experimental data clearly show that the acceleration curves are characterized by a double-peak structure. The first agitated peak can be attributed to a shock process where sand responds elastically, and the valley bottom in the double-peak structure is related to a limited plastic load when a fully plastic region is formed in the sand, while the second agitated peak corresponds to a the occurrence of the maximum of viscous force in a homogeneous developed bulk flow. We use slip line theory (SL) developed in plastic mechanics to capture the value at the valley bottom, adopt the double shearing theory (DS), together with a Local Rheological Constitutive Law (LRCL) suggested in this paper, to capture the drag force generated in a homogeneous bulk flow. Good agreements in the comparisons between numerical and experimental results support the characteristic resistance by the cylinder to predict granular states.