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From the stress response function (back) to the sand pile "dip".
A P F Atman1, P Brunet, J Geng
1Laboratoire de Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France.
The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
|May 3, 2005
Summary
The pressure dip in sand piles relates to stress in sheared granular layers. Avalanche texture explains this dip, offering a new way to study granular materials.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Geophysics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Sand piles exhibit a pressure
- dip
- at their base after formation through successive avalanches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To link the sand pile pressure dip phenomenon to the stress profiles observed in sheared granular layers under localized vertical load.
- To investigate the role of texture anisotropy in granular materials.
Main Methods:
- Anisotropic elastic analysis was employed to model the stress profiles.
- Comparison of the theoretical response profile with the observed sand pile dip effect.
Main Results:
- The skewness and tilt of the sheared granular layer response profile qualitatively matched the sand pile dip effect.
- Texture anisotropy induced by avalanches is analogous to that from simple shearing, modified by the angle of repose.
Conclusions:
- The pressure dip in sand piles is explained by texture anisotropy resulting from avalanching.
- The response function technique is a viable method for probing the texture of static granular packing.