Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-gvh9x Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T14:27:37.545Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The limiting ideal theory for shear-index cohesionless granular materials

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

G. M. Cox
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, 2522 NSW, Australia; e-mail: gcox@uow.edu.au.
J. M. Hill
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, 2522 NSW, Australia; e-mail: gcox@uow.edu.au.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

To model cohesionless granular flow using continuum theory, the usual approach is to assume the cohesionless Coulomb-Mohr yield condition. However, this yield condition assumes that the angle of internal friction is constant, when according to experimental evidence for most powders the angle of internal friction is not constant along the yield locus, but decreases for decreasing normal stress component σ from a maximum value of π/2. For this reason, we consider here the more general yield function which applies for shear-index granular materials, where the angle of internal friction varies with σ. In this case, failure due to frictional slip between particles occurs when the shear and normal components of stress τ and σ satisfy the so-called Warren Spring equation (|τ|/c)n = 1 − (σ/t), where c, t and n are positive constants which are referred to as the cohesion, tensile strength and shear-index respectively, and experimental evidence indicates for many materials that the value of the shear-index n lies between 1 and 2. For many materials, the cohesion is close to zero and therefore the notion of a cohesionless shear-index granular material arises. For such materials, a continuum theory applying for shear-index cohesionless granular materials is physically plausible as a limiting ideal theory, and any analytical solutions might provide important benchmarks for numerical schemes. Here, we examine the cohesionless shearindex theory for the problem of gravity flow of granular materials through two-dimensional wedge-shaped hoppers, and we attempt to determine analytical solutions. Although some analytical solutions are found, these do not correspond to the actual hopper problem, but may serve as benchmarks for purely numerical schemes. The special analytical solutions obtained are illustrated graphically, assuming only a symmetrical stress distribution.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Mathematical Society 2004

References

[1]Eelkman Rooda, J.. “A numerical method for the calculation of the powder flow properties obtained with the Jenike flow factor test”, Powder Technol. 12 (1975) 97102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[2]Eelkman Rooda, J. and Haaker, G., “A testing procedure for triaxial tests and numerical method for the calculation of powder flow properties”, Powder Technol. 12 (1977) 273280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[3]Farley, R. and Valentin, F. H. H., “Effect of particle size upon the strength of powders”, Powder Technol. 1 (1967) 334354.Google Scholar
[4]Hill, J. M. and Cox, G. M., “Rat-hole stress profiles for shear-index granular materials”, Acta Mechanica 151 (2002) 157172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[5]Hill, J. M. and Wu, Y. H., “Plastic flows of granular materials of shear index n. I. Yield functions”, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 41 (1993) 7793.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[6]Hill, J. M. and Wu, Y. H., “Plastic flows of granular materials of shear index n. II. Plane and axially symmetric problems for n = 2”, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 41 (1993) 95115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[7]Shield, R. T., “On Coulomb's law of failure in soils”, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 4 (1955) 1016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[8]Sokolovsky, V. V., Statics of granular media (Pergamon, Oxford, 1966).Google Scholar
[9]Spencer, A. J. M. and Bradley, N.J., “Gravity flow of granular materials in converging wedges and cones”, in Proc. 8th Int. Sym. Continuum Models and Discrete Systems, Varna, Bulgaria, 11–16th June, 1995 (ed. Markov, K. Z.), (World Scientific, Singapore, 1996) 581590.Google Scholar
[10]Stainforth, P. T., Ashley, R. C. and Morley, J. N. B., “Computer analysis of powder flow characteristics”, Powder Technol. 4 (1970) 250256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[11]Williams, J. C. and Birks, A. H., “The comparison of the failure measurements of powders with theory”, Powder Technol. 1 (1967) 199206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[12]Williams, J. C., Birks, A. H. and Bhattacharya, D., “The direct measurement of the failure function of a cohesive powder”, Powder Technol. 4 (1971) 328337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar