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Updated: May 18, 2026

Stress Distribution During Cold Compression of Rocks and Mineral Aggregates Using Synchrotron-based X-Ray Diffraction
Published on: May 20, 2018
Anomalous stress profile in a sheared granular column.
Vishwajeet Mehandia1, Kamala Jyotsna Gutam, Prabhu R Nott
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
Granular materials under shear exhibit unique stress profiles, differing from fluid behavior and plasticity theories. This anomaly is attributed to an anisotropic fabric formed by gravity and shear forces.
Area of Science:
- Granular physics
- Rheology
- Materials science
Background:
- Understanding granular material flow is crucial in various industrial applications.
- Existing models for granular flow often fail to capture complex stress behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and analyze the stress distribution within a sheared granular column.
- To investigate deviations from expected stress profiles in dense, slow flow regimes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cylindrical Couette device to shear a granular material column.
- Measured all three components of the stress tensor on the outer cylinder.
- Varied the vertical position relative to the free surface.
Main Results:
- Observed stress profiles that fundamentally differ from those of simple fluids.
- Found significant discrepancies when compared to predictions from plasticity theories.
- Identified an anomalous stress distribution not intuitively expected.
Conclusions:
- The unique stress profile is a consequence of the material's anisotropic fabric.
- This fabric arises from the combined influence of gravity and applied shear.
- Suggests limitations in current models for describing granular material rheology.
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