This textbook compiles reports written by about 35 internationally recognized authorities, and covers a range of interests for geotechnical engineers. Topics include: fundamentals for mechanics of granular materials; continuum theory of granular materials; and discrete element approaches.

This monograph contains original results in the field of mathematical and numerical modeling of mechanical behavior of granular materials and materials with different strengths. It proposes new models helping to define zones of the strain localization. The book shows how to analyze processes of the propagation of elastic and elastic-plastic waves in loosened materials, and constructs models of mixed type, describing the flow of granular materials in the presence of quasi-static deformation zones. In a last part, the book studies a numerical realization of the models on multiprocessor computer systems. The book is intended for scientific researchers, lecturers of universities, post-graduates and senior students, who specialize in the field of the deformable materials mechanics, mathematical modeling and adjacent fields of applied and calculus mathematics.

Granular or particulate materials arise in almost every aspect of our lives, including many familiar materials such as tea, coffee, sugar, sand, cement and powders. At some stage almost every industrial process involves a particulate material, and it is usually the cause of the disruption to the smooth running of the process. In the natural environment, understanding the behaviour of particulate materials is vital in many geophysical processes such as earthquakes, landslides and avalanches. This book is a collection of current research from some of the major contributors in the topic of modelling the behaviour of granular materials. Papers from every area of current activity are included, such as theoretical, numerical, engineering and computational approaches. This book illustrates the numerous diverse approaches to one of the outstanding problems of modern continuum mechanics.

Studies in Applied Mechanics, Volume 7: Mechanics of Granular Materials: New Models and Constitutive Relations provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of the mechanics of granular materials. This book presents the theoretical and experimental studies of quasi-static deformations of granular materials. Organized into 30 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the results on the description of a macroscopic stress measure and measures of the fabric of granular masses that support external loads through frictional contact. This text then introduces some quantities for the macroscopic description of mechanical and graphical characteristics of granular materials. Other chapters consider particle rolling, which appears to be a major microscopic deformation mechanism when interparticle friction is large. This book discusses as well the stress-induced anisotropy of granular materials that have initially strong anisotropic fabric. The final chapter deals with the interpretation of linear instabilities of voidage disturbances in fluidized beds. This book is a valuable resource for scientists, theoreticians, and experimentalists.

This volume constitutes the Proceedings of the IUT AM Symposium on Mechanics of Granular and Porous Materials, held in Cambridge from 15th to 17th July 1996. The objectives were: 1. To review existing experimental results and practical phenomena on the flow and compaction of particulate media; 2. To review the current state of constitutive models, and their implementation for predicting the macroscopic response. 3. Identification of the shortcomings of existing models and procedures in understanding practical phenomena. The Symposium brought together the research communities of solid mechanics, materials science, geomechanics, chemical engineering and mathematics to review current knowledge of the flow and compaction of granular and porous media. The meeting emphasised the development and use of constitutive laws to model practical processes such as mixing, drainage and drying, compaction of metal and ceramic powders and soils, and instabilities associated with these processes. A common theme was to develop constitutive models from an understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms of deformation and fracture. It was particularly rewarding to find that the separate research communities came together during the meeting and came to a consensus as to the main mechanisms of deformation and failure of particulate and porous solids.

Focussing on the basic mechanics and underlying physics of granular material, Mechanics of Granular Matter starts with an introduction to contact mechanics of individual particles before moving on to a discussion of the structure of force chain networks and the influence on bulk mechanical properties of granular solids and granular flows. Furthermore, a preliminary multi scale framework is proposed for the nonlinear mechanics and strain localization in granular materials.

This book presents a complete and comprehensive analysis of the behaviour of granular materials including the description of experimental results, the different ways to define the global behaviour from local phenomena at the particle scale, the various modellings which can be used for a D.E.M. analysis to solve practical problems and finally the analysis of strain localisation. The concepts developed in this book are applicable to many kinds of granular materials considered in civil, mechanical or chemical engineering.

This textbook compiles reports written by about 35 internationally recognized authorities, and covers a range of interests for geotechnical engineers. Topics include: fundamentals for mechanics of granular materials; continuum theory of granular materials; and discrete element approaches.

The 45 papers presented in this volume all share the common goal of constructing continuum models based on the micro behaviours of granular materials. Computer simulations continue to provide observations to aid modelling, while new experimental works begin to show promise for increased understanding in this area. Theoretical studies have extended into transitions between the rapid and quasi-static regimes and the fluid and solid mixture flows. Exciting new topics discussed in this volume include: concepts of a measure for randomness in quasi-static granular materials, which is analogous to the granular temperature in a rapid flow; scaling effects in granular media and their implications in both physical and computer simulations; instability; and boundary effects on heterogeneous behavior in simple flow configurations, which are posing new challenges for mathematical modelling. The volume will prove indispensable reading for researchers interested in the current developments in the fundamental aspects of mechanics of granular materials.