Title: 3D Experimental Measurements of Evolution of Force Chains in Natural Silica Sand

Abstract

The mechanisms of force transmission in granular materials is a classic physics problem that has been addressed since the 19th century, when Heinrich Rudolf Hertz investigated the interaction between two similar objects that were in contact under compression. However, the study of force transmission mechanisms in assemblies of more particles has proven to be a formidable problem due to the complex nature of granular materials. In recent years, synchrotron microcomputed tomography (SMT) and three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy (3DXRD) have been employed to study the mechanics of granular materials experimentally. Combining SMT and 3DXRD offers unique three-dimensional (3D) experimental measurements of the internal structure, kinematics (such as rotation and translation), and lattice strains of individual sand particles. In this paper, in situ SMT and 3DXRD scans were acquired at multiple load steps for a specimen composed of 2,705 natural Ottawa sand particles that were subjected to one-dimensional (1D) confined compression. An algorithm was developed to combine SMT images and 3DXRD lattice strain measurements and used to characterize the constitutive behavior of sand particles. The results were used to identify the crystal structure and the evolution of the stresses and lattice strains of individual sand particles. Another algorithm was developed to characterizemore » the force structures within the specimen. Force structures were identified, and their properties (such as length) and evolution through the experiment were examined. The contact number of particles is a particle-scale property that affects the mechanics of granular materials. The effect of the contact number of the sand particles on the onset and evolution of the force structures was also investigated and discussed.« less

Authors:

Amirrahmat, Siavash ^[1]; Imseeh, Wadi H. ^[1]; Alshibli, Khalid A.  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Alshibli, Khalid A."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-5351-1670"

Kenesei, Peter ^[2]; Jarrar, Zaher A.  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Jarrar, Zaher A."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-9311-9574"

Sharma, Hemant ^[2]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)

Publication Date:

Fri May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2020

Research Org.:

Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

OSTI Identifier:

1617850

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-06CH11357; CMMI-1362510

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 146; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 1090-0241

Publisher:

American Society of Civil Engineers

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

58 GEOSCIENCES; 3D x-ray diffraction microscopy; computed tomography; contact stresses; force chains; granular materials; sand