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A study of membrane correction accounting for both curvature and tension in DEM simulations of triaxial tests of sand and ballast with two alternative flexible membrane models

Tolomeo, Mathias; McDowell, Glenn R.

A study of membrane correction accounting for both curvature and tension in DEM simulations of triaxial tests of sand and ballast with two alternative flexible membrane models Thumbnail


Authors

Mathias Tolomeo



Abstract

In DEM simulations of triaxial tests, modelling a flexible lateral membrane is crucial and challenging. It is essential for the correct application of a uniform lateral pressure and for an accurate measurement of sample volume. Here, we introduce a membrane made of triangular facets, and model it as a continuum; we then compare this approach with a well-established method that uses a layer of bonded spheres. With either method, it is also possible to assess the additional stress applied by the membrane as it deforms, i.e. the difference between the stress applied at the boundary and the actual stress within the sample. It is shown that this difference has two origins: the tension developed in the membrane, as it deforms; and the curvature of the membrane, since this causes a vertical component of the confining pressure which can be significant. These findings may be used to inform and improve the membrane correction commonly used in experiments, where similar effects occur.

Citation

Tolomeo, M., & McDowell, G. R. (2024). A study of membrane correction accounting for both curvature and tension in DEM simulations of triaxial tests of sand and ballast with two alternative flexible membrane models. Granular Matter, 26(2), Article 47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-024-01419-1

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 29, 2024
Online Publication Date Mar 25, 2024
Publication Date 2024-05
Deposit Date Mar 26, 2024
Publicly Available Date Mar 26, 2024
Journal Granular Matter
Print ISSN 1434-5021
Electronic ISSN 1434-7636
Publisher Springer Verlag
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 26
Issue 2
Article Number 47
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-024-01419-1
Keywords Railway ballast, Discrete Element Method, Membrane correction, Triaxial test, Flexible membrane, Sand
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/33019807
Publisher URL https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10035-024-01419-1

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A study of membrane correction accounting for both curvature and tension in DEM simulations of triaxial tests of sand and ballast with two alternative flexible membrane models (2.2 Mb)
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Publisher Licence URL
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.





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