Abstract
By means of molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the texture and local ordering in sheared packings composed of cohesionless platy particles. The morphology of large packings of platy particles in quasistatic equilibrium is complex due to the combined effects of local nematic ordering of the particles and anisotropic orientations of contacts between particles. We find that particle alignment is strongly enhanced by the degree of platyness and leads to the formation of face-connected clusters of exponentially decaying size. Interestingly, due to dynamics in continuous shearing, this ordering phenomenon emerges even in systems composed of particles of very low platyness differing only slightly from spherical shape. The number of clusters is an increasing function of platyness. However, at high platyness the proportion of face-face interactions is too low to allow for their percolation throughout the system.
Graphical abstract
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
J. Mitchell, K. Soga, Fundamentals of Soil Behavior (Wiley, New York, 2005).
J. Santamarina, Soils and Waves (Wiley & Sons, New York, 2009).
A. Mirghasemi, L. Rothenburg, E. Maryas, Géotechnique 52, 209 (2002).
K. Mair, J. Geophys. Res. 107, 2219 (2002).
G. Cho, J. Dodds, J. Santamarina, J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 132, 591 (2006).
E. Azéma, F. Radjai, R. Peyroux, G. Saussine, Phys. Rev. E 76, 011301 (2007).
S.A. Galindo-Torres, F. Alonso-Marroquin, Y.C. Wang, D. Pedroso, J.D. Munoz Castano, Phys. Rev. E 79, 060301 (2009).
R.-C. Hidalgo, I. Zuriguel, D. Maza, I. Pagonabarraga, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 118001 (2009).
T. Kanzaki, M. Acevedo, I. Zuriguel, I. Pagonabarraga, D. Maza, R.C. Hidalgo, Eur. Phys. J. E 34, 133 (2011).
A. Anandarajah, Comput. Geotech. 27, 1 (2000).
A. Donev, F.H. Stillinger, P.M. Chaikin, S. Torquato, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 255506 (2004).
A. Donev, I. Cisse, D. Sachs, E. Variano, F. Stillinger, R. Connelly, S. Torquato, P. Chaikin, Science 303, 990 (2004).
W. Man, A. Donev, F.-H. Stillinger, M.T. Sullivan, W.-B. Russel, D. Heager, S. Inati, S. Torquato, P.M. Chaikin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 198001 (2005).
I. Zuriguel, T. Mullin, Proc. R. Soc. A 464, 99 (2008).
E. Azéma, F. Radjai, Phys. Rev. E 81, 051304 (2010).
E. Azéma, N. Estrada, F. Radjai, Phys. Rev. E 86, 041301 (2012).
CEGEO, B. Saint-Cyr, K. Szarf, C. Voivret, E. Azéma, V. Richefeu, J.-Y. Delenne, G. Combe, C. Nouguier-Lehon, P. Villard, P. Sornay, M. Chaze, F. Radjai, EPL 98, 44008 (2012).
E. Azéma, F. Radjai, F. Dubois, Phys. Rev. E 87, 062203 (2013).
B. Saint-Cyr, J.-Y. Delenne, C. Voivret, F. Radjai, P. Sornay, Phys. Rev. E 84, 041302 (2011).
E. Azéma, F. Radjai, B. Saint-Cyr, J.-Y. Delenne, P. Sornay, Phys. Rev. E 87, 052205 (2013).
E. Azéma, F. Radjai, Phys. Rev. E 85, 031303 (2012).
T. Borzsonyi, R. Stannarius, Soft Matter 9, 7401 (2013).
G. Lumay, N. Vandewalle, Phys. Rev. E 74, 021301 (2006).
K. Anki Reddy, V. Kumaran, J. Talbot, Phys. Rev. E 80, 031304 (2009).
C.S. Campbell, Phys. Fluids 23, 013306 (2011).
P.W. Cleary, Powder Technol. 179, 144 (2008).
T. Borzsonyi, B. Szabo, G. Toros, S. Wegner, J. Torok, E. Somfai, T. Bien, R. Stannarius, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 228302 (2012).
A.A. Pena, R. Garcia-Rojo, H.J. Herrmann, Granular Matter 9, 279 (2007).
A. Anandarajah, Eng. Geol. 47, 313 (1997).
M. Yao, A. Anandarajah, J. Eng. Mech. 129, 585 (2003).
M. Boton, E. Azéma, N. Estrada, F. Radjai, A. Lizcano, Phys. Rev. E 87, 032206 (2013).
F. Alonso-Marroquin, EPL 83, 14001 (2008).
L. Pournin, M. Weber, M. Tsukahara, J.-A. Ferrez, M. Ramaioli, T.M. Liebling, Granular Matter 7, 119 (2005).
P.A. Langston, M.A. Al-Awamleh, F.Y. Fraige, B.N. Asmar, Chem. Eng. Sci. 59, 425 (2004).
F. Alonso-Marroquin, Y. Wang, Granular Matter 11, 317 (2009).
S.A. Galindo-Torres, D. Pedroso, D.J. Williams, L. Li, Comput. Phys. Commun. 183, 266 (2012).
F. Radjai, F. Dubois, Discrete-Element Modeling of Granular Materials (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2011).
P.A. Cundall, O.D.L. Strack, Géotechnique 29, 47 (1979).
J. Ghaboussi, R. Barbosa, Int. J. Num. Anal. Methods Geomech. 14, 451 (1990).
GDR MiDi, Eur. Phys. J. E 14, 341 (2004).
T. Börzsönyi, B. Szabó, S. Wegner, K. Harth, J. Török, E. Somfai, T. Bien, R. Stannarius, Phys. Rev. E 86, 051304 (2012).
S. Torquato, Random Heterogeneous Materials: Micro-structure and Macroscopic Properties (Springer-Verlag, New York, 2002).
M. Acevedo, R.C. Hidalgo, I. Zuriguel, D. Maza, I. Pagonabarraga, Phys. Rev. E 87, 012202 (2013).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boton, M., Estrada, N., Azéma, E. et al. Particle alignment and clustering in sheared granular materials composed of platy particles. Eur. Phys. J. E 37, 116 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2014-14116-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2014-14116-0