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DEM modelling of shear localization in a plane Couette shear test of granular materials

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Abstract

This paper presents a numerical study of shear localization in granular materials based on a discrete element method. The plane Couette shear test is proposed for this purpose. A numerical model is established to simulate the test. With the flexible side boundaries, it is demonstrated that the plane Couette shear state can be achieved within a granular sample of limited length, and a shear band parallel to the shear direction can be obtained. Numerical results are also presented to show the formation and the development of the shear band. A homogenization procedure is employed for presenting the variation of the field variables such as stress components, the couple stress, the void ratio and the grain rotation. The evolution and the spatial distribution of these quantities are qualitatively in accordance with the Cosserat continuum model predictions. The numerical results also indicate that the Cosserat effect plays a vital role in shear localization zone.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge gratefully the financial support to this work by China National Science Funding (No. 11172088), China 111 Project (No. B13024), as well as the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical Science and Engineering.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanics and Materials, Hohai University, Nanjing, China

    Wenxiong Huang & Liya Huang

  2. ARC Centre of Excellence for Geotechnical Science and Engineering, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia

    Wenxiong Huang, Daichao Sheng & Scott W. Sloan

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  1. Wenxiong Huang
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  2. Liya Huang
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Correspondence to Wenxiong Huang.

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Huang, W., Huang, L., Sheng, D. et al. DEM modelling of shear localization in a plane Couette shear test of granular materials. Acta Geotech. 10, 389–397 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-014-0348-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-014-0348-6

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