Measurement of the mechanical properties of granular packs by wavelength-scanning interferometry

Abstract

A wavelength-scanning interferometer has been constructed to observe both the normal and in-plane displacements particle by particle at the base of a model granular pack. The pack comprised 25 000 steel beads supported by a thick glass substrate and was subjected to local disturbing forces on its upper surface. The system allows measurement of normal displacements of the beads to a precision of ca 0.1 nm, thereby providing highly accurate determination of contact forces while minimizing artefacts due to substrate and grain compliance. The probability distribution of the normalized contact force was found to be approximately independent of the applied load on the upper surface of the granular pack and has an exponential tail. The probability distributions of the normalized response force and lateral displacement have similar power-law tails. The interactions between contact forces and lateral displacements suggest that significant internal rearrangement occurs in the granular pack as the load is increased, and particle displacement plays an important role in the mechanics of the granular material. © 2009 The Royal Society.