Numerical simulation of the propagation of stress disturbance in shock-loaded granular media using the discrete element method

Abstract

By using the discrete element method, we perform numerical simulations of the propagation of stress disturbance in granular media composed of spherical particles placed in a vertical channel with a rectangular cross section. The results show that (1) the shock loads subjected to the uppermost granular particles are transferred through certain paths randomly distributed in the granular medium, (2) the loads are not evenly distributed on the bottom wall as postulated in earlier works, (3) the locally averaged, internal force per unit area introduced in the present work is helpful to understand macroscopic load transfer processes inside shock-loaded granular columns, and (4) the maximum stress is not observed on the bottom wall, but in the tipper or middle of the granular column.