Advanced Powder Technology, Vol.31, No.7, 2951-2963, 2020
Microscopic investigation of the packing features of soft-rigid particle mixtures using the discrete element method
Soft-rigid mixtures (SRMs) have become popular materials in civil engineering applications for environmental protection because of their outstanding engineering properties. In soft-rigid granular systems, packing features strongly affect shear behavior and directly reflect internal stability. However, the packing features of SRMs have not been previously reported. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of material susceptibility on packing features from a microscopic perspective. First, fifty-three numerical assemblies were established to thoroughly investigate the effects of the size ratio and soft content on several microscopic quantities, e.g., the particle structure, stress network, and local void. Then, the effects of the confining stress and stiffness ratio were analyzed from another eighteen assemblies by six chosen indexes. The results provide microscopic insights into the void structures and stress transmission of SRMs in a packing state. (C) 2020 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.