To model cohesionless granular flow using continuum theory, the usual approach is to assume the cohesionless Coulomb-Mohr yield condition. However, this yield condition assumes that the angle of internal friction is constant, when according to experimental evidence for most powders the angle of internal friction is not constant along the yield locus, but decreases for decreasing normal stress c...

We present simple models of particulate materials whose mechanical integrity arises from a jamming process. We argue that such media are generically “fragile”, that is, they are unable to support certain types of incremental loading without plastic rearrangement. In such models, fragility is naturally linked to the marginal stability of force chain networks (granular skeletons) within the mater...

Estimating active earth pressure accurately is very important when designing retaining wall. Based on the unified strength theory and plane strain assumption, an analytical solution has been developed to determine the active lateral earth pressure distribution on a retaining structure with the inclined cohesive backfill considering the effect of the intermediate principal stress. The solution d...

In this paper the mechanical behavior of a soilbag under an increasing vertical compression is numerically investigated using a micro-polar continuum approach. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the interaction between the filling material and the bag on the evolution of the stress strain behavior of the soilbag structure. The mechanical behavior of the cohesionless granular mater...

Shallow slides in cohesionless till occurred in several highway fills in the province of Quebec, Canada, following spring thaw and sometimes during rainy autumns. This study has shown that the strength parameters of cohesionless tills can be related to the liquid limit for both drained and undrained conditions. These relationships can be used as input in stability analyses to readily yield desi...

In this study, five microbes were employed to precipitate calcite in cohesionless soils. Four microbes were selected from calcite-precipitating microbes isolated from calcareous sand and limestone cave soils, with Sporosarcina pasteurii ATCC 11859 (standard strain) used as a control. Urease activities of the four microbes were higher than that of S. pasteurii. The microbes and urea-CaCl₂ medium...

We report experiments on piles of cohesionless granular materials showing the effect of construction history on static stress distributions. Stresses under piles are monitored by sensitive capacitive techniques. The piles are formed either by pouring granular material from a funnel with a small outlet (localized source), or from a large sieve (homogeneous rain). Localized sources yield stress p...

A homogenization strategy for granular materials is presented and applied to a three-dimensional Discrete Element Method (DEM), that uses superellipsoids as particles. Macroscopic quantities are derived from the microscopic quantities resulting from a DEM simulation by averaging over representative volume elements (RVEs). The implementation of a RVE is described in detail regarding the definiti...