Statistics of contact force network in dense granular matter

Abstract

We investigate the distribution of contact forces in a static granular system and in annular shear granular flow, using the discrete element method, and considering the influences of both packing fraction and friction coefficient. We find the existence of a critical packing fraction. If the packing fraction is lower than this critical value, all contact forces in granular system vanish. For shear granular flow, the critical packing fraction is significantly smaller than that for static granular system. The distribution of the contact forces also exhibits different forms, especially at lower packing fraction. We also investigate the spatial configuration of contact network using the angular distribution of contact forces. In static granular systems, the contact force network is approximately isotropic, while in shear granular flow, it exhibits a distinct anisotropy along the shear direction.