Abstract
Glass granules and grains of crushed glass usually replace sand if photo-elastic observation of load-transmitting ‘force chains’ is planned. Still an open question exists however, how well glass granules can represent real sand grains. This paper in its first part compares simple uniaxial crushing tests on glass grains (both granules and crushed glass) and on coarse sand grains (micro-scale). Some basic geometrical characteristics of glass and sand grains are discussed, then the measurement techniques are presented and the results of crushing tests demonstrated. The second part of the paper contains the results of ‘macro-scale’ loading tests on big granular samples, made of ~106 glass or sand grains. The deformation characteristics of these samples differ significantly.
Highlights
Glass granules and grains of crushed glass usually replace sand if photo-elastic observation of loadtransmitting ‘force chains’ is planned
It can be seen that statistically the glass granules damage at much higher force than crushed glass
The purpose of the analysis presented was to check deformation characteristics of granular samples subjected to different external loading within the range 0 – 4MPa
Summary
Glass granules and grains of crushed glass usually replace sand if photo-elastic observation of loadtransmitting ‘force chains’ is planned. Still an open question exists how well glass granules can represent real sand grains. It is especially important in view of modern trend to relate grain-scale and macro-scale features of granular materials. This paper compares simple uniaxial crushing tests on glass grains (both granules and crushed glass) and on corresponding (by similar d50) coarse sand grains. First some basic geometrical characteristics of glass and sand grains are briefly discussed, the measurement technique is presented and the results of crushing tests demonstrated (including the averaged stress-deformation relationships). The second part of the paper contains the results of uniaxial loading tests on big granular samples, made of ~106 glass or sand grains
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