Study on mechanical behavior of the transverse processing on a granular matter layer

Abstract

When the granular matter is being pushed a certain point can be found, before arriving at which the force increases linearly, and after that it increases exponentially. The granular matter is a large assemblage of solid grains, which are fundamentally different from any other type of matters, such as solid blue and liquids; they have different physical properties. The meso-scale of force chain bridges single particles and granular matter, and leads to unique properties and behaviours of granular matters, thus acts as the key issue in the study of granular matter. In this work, we first find the variation of different forces by simulation. We then propose a discrete element model based on rigorous Hertzian contact law and Mindlin-Deresiewicz contact theory for normal and tangential contact forces, respectively, and then point out that the change of force chain is the key to the granular dynamics. The force distribution and the force chain length distribution are calculated and analyzed to show the change rule and the origin of the drag force.