Investigating Continuum Properties of Granular Materials Using Discrete Experiments and Simulations

Accurate measurements and simulations of discrete particle behavior are required to develop and validate continuum models of granular solids. In this work, we used experiments and simulations to investigate properties of granular solids relevant to continuum modeling. In particular, we used x-ray measurements during uniaxial and triaxial compaction of sapphire and barium titanate spheres to study energy dissipation due to grain fracture, homogenization length scales for various mechanical properties, and the development and size of shear bands. To supplement these measurements, we employed discrete element simulations of granular materials undergoing uniaxial and triaxial compaction to assess the homogenization behavior of larger particle ensembles. We will discuss ongoing efforts to use the data to develop and validate models of granular materials.