On the packing and crushing of granular materials

de Bono, John P; McDowell, Glenn R

Abstract

This paper is a study of the dependence of the volume of voids in a granular material on the particle size distribution. It has previously been proposed that the volume of voids is proportional to the volume of the smallest particles. In a particle size distribution which is progressively becoming wider (e.g. as occurs due to crushing during the compression of sand), the smallest size of particle decreases, yet there are only ever a few of these particles out of many thousands or millions. This paper attempts to identify which particles govern the overall density of a granular material, and a new definition of the ‘smallest particles’ is proposed. These particles are shown to govern the void space in a range of simulations of spherical and non-spherical crushable particles. The theory also applies to idealised Apollonian sphere packings.

Citation

de Bono, J. P., & McDowell, G. R. (2020). On the packing and crushing of granular materials. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 187, 133-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2018.07.011

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 17, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 29, 2018
• Publication Date: Mar 15, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jul 31, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 30, 2019
• Journal: International Journal of Solids and Structures
• Print ISSN: 0020-7683
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 187
• Pages: 133-140
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2018.07.011
• Keywords: Analytical solutions; Compression; Fractals; Geomechanics; Granular media; Micro-mechanics; Particulate media; Soil mechanics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/864940
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020768318302920