EFFECTS OF GRAIN SHAPE ON MECHANICAL BEHAVIORS AND SHEAR BAND OF GRANULAR MATERIALS IN DEM ANALYSIS

Abstract

To study effects of grain shape on mechanical behavior and shear band development in granular materials, a number of biaxial compression tests were simulated with the DEM analysis, in which specimens of different grain shape types were used. Each grain was composed of three circle elements, which are overlapped and connected to each other. From the obtained simulation results, it was found that the shear strength showed linear correlations to the shape factor “FU”, which evaluates the grain shape quantitatively, and that the rotation of grains contributed to the formation of shear bands. As well, a couple of shear bands appeared periodically, and the grain shape had effects on the grain rotation.