Modeling Mechanical Behavior of Very Coarse Granular Materials

Zhen-Yu Yin (1) , Pierre-Yves Hicher (2) , Christophe Dano (2, 3, 4) , Yin-Fu Jin (2)

1 Shanghai Jiao Tong University [Shanghai]
2 GeM - Institut de Recherche en Génie Civil et Mécanique
3 GéoMécanique
4 3SR - Laboratoire sols, solides, structures - risques [Grenoble]

A novel approach has been developed to predict the mechanical behavior of very coarse granular materials with a constitutive model, which considers both grain breakage and size effect. The behavior of granular assemblies is significantly influenced by particle breakage. A critical-state double-yield-surface model incorporating the change in the critical-state line and in elastic stiffness caused by grain breakage during loading has been adopted. The amount of grain breakage was estimated by extending the size effect theory on individual grains to granular assemblies. The results from earlier studies on granular materials with parallel gradations have been usefully exploited to calibrate and to validate the model. Comparisons between experiments and simulations suggest that this approach can predict the mechanical behavior of very coarse granular materials from test results performed on a finer fraction with a homothetic gradation.

Mots clés: Coarse granular material; Critical state; Grain breakage; Plastic work; Weibull's theory; Elastoplastic model

Domaines: Mécanique des structures [physics.class-ph]

Zhen-Yu Yin, Pierre-Yves Hicher, Christophe Dano, Yin-Fu Jin. Modeling Mechanical Behavior of Very Coarse Granular Materials. Journal of Engineering Mechanics - ASCE, 2017, 143 (1), ⟨10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0001059⟩. ⟨hal-01629037⟩