Brief note on the influence of shape and percentage of gravel on the shear strength of sand and gravel mixtures

The paper records the influence of the shape and the percentage of gravel on the shear strength/frictional angle of sand and gravel mixtures using direct shear tests. The shear strength is mainly derived from the frictional forces developed due to sliding and interlock; they depend on the maximum particle size and shape, the uniformity coefficient, density and the effective normal stress. As the size of material in a mixture is variable, the shear strength also depends upon the ratio of the specimen diameter to the maximum particle size. In this study, two different shapes of limestone were used, angular and rounded, and the maximum gravel size was 6.3 mm in diameter. Air-dried samples were used in the tests. It is concluded that the shape and percentage of gravel have an important influence on the shear strength properties. Electronic Publication     

Particle breakage of sand subjected to friction and collision in drum tests

This paper presents a laboratory experimental study on particle breakage of sand subjected to friction and collision,by a number of drum tests on granular materials(silica sand No.3 and ceramic balls)to investigate the characteristics of particle breakage and its effect on the characteristics of grain size distribution of sand.Particle breakage increased in up convexity with increasing duration of drum tests,but increased linearly with increasing number of balls.Particle breakage showed an increase,followed by a decrease while increasing the amount of sand.There may be existence of a characteristic amount of sand causing a maximum particle breakage.Friction tests caused much less particle breakage than collision tests did.Friction and collision resulted in different mechanisms of particle breakage,mainly by abrasion for friction and by splitting for collision.The fines content increased with increasing relative breakage.Particle breakage in the friction tests(abrasion)resulted in a sharper increase but with a smaller total amount of fines content in comparison with that in the collision tests(splitting).For the collision tests,the fines content showed a decrease followed by an increase as the amount of sand increased,whereas it increased in up convexity with increasing number of balls.The characteristic grain sizes D₁₀ and D₃₀ decreased in down convexity with increasing relative breakage,which could be described by a natural exponential function.However,the characteristic grain sizes D50 and D60 decreased linearly while increasing the relative breakage.In addition,the coefficients of uniformity and curvature of sand showed an increase followed by a decrease while increasing the relative breakage.     

Modeling Lac du Bonnet granite using a discrete element model

A discrete element method code developed by the authors is used to model Lac du Bonnet granite in triaxial compression. The paper first presents the features of the model and the algorithms used to identify the micro deformability and strength parameters. With these identification algorithms, the model was calibrated to match experimental triaxial test data on Lac du Bonnet granite. With the calibrated model, investigation on failure evolution was then performed. The monitored evolution of the number and type of contact failures (micro cracks) reveals that at micro level tensile failures occur first, followed by mobilization of residual friction. Three distinct stages of stress–strain curve can be well identified by the accumulated number of contact failures and the mode of contact failures.     

Particle size distributions and concentrations of airborne endotoxin using novel collection methods in homes during the winter and summer seasons

A comparison study of novel collection methods for airborne bacteria and endotoxin was performed in an environmentally controlled chamber and in pilot-field studies. Airborne particulate matter was collected in swirling liquid impingers, air-monitoring filter cassettes, and with a micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) to evaluate aerodynamic particle size distributions. Environmentally controlled chamber studies showed that impingers and MOUDI recovered significantly more airborne bacteria than filter cassettes, whereas collection methods for airborne endotoxin were not significantly different. In addition, total airborne bacteria and endotoxin concentrations were measured indoors and outdoors at three homes in Boulder, CO during winter and summer seasons. Indoor concentrations collected with the three different samplers were significantly different for airborne endotoxin, but not for airborne bacteria. Total airborne bacteria indoors and outdoors significantly varied with seasons. Outdoor airborne endotoxin significantly varied with season; no seasonal variation was seen for indoor airborne endotoxin. Indoor and outdoor levels were not significantly different for both airborne bacteria and endotoxin. The largest proportion of endotoxin was associated with airborne particulate matter <1 microm. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study compared sampling methods for airborne endotoxin, a potent and nonspecific immune system stimulant which can induce negative health responses. The data from this study showed that swirling liquid impingers and the micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) recovered significantly more airborne endotoxin than the more widely adapted method of collecting airborne endotoxin on membrane filters, when collection methods were applied in realistic settings (homes). The MOUDI measured the particle size distribution of airborne endotoxin, which can be useful for determining endotoxin respiratory toxicity and its health effects.     

Comparison of sources of submicron particle number concentrations measured at two sites in Rochester, NY

Sources contributing to the submicron particles (100-470 nm) measured between January 2002 and December 2007 at two different New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) sites in Rochester, NY were identified and apportioned using a bilinear receptor model, positive matrix factorization (PMF). Measurements of aerosol size distributions and number concentrations for particles in the size range of 10-500 nm have been made since December 2001 to date in Rochester. The measurements are being made using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) consisting of a DMA and a CPC (TSI models 3071 and 3010, respectively). From December 2001 to March 2004, particle measurements were made at the NYS DEC site in downtown Rochester, but it was moved to the eastside of Rochester in May 2004. Each measurement period was divided into three seasons i.e., winter (December, January, and February), summer (June, July, and August), and the transitional periods (March, April, May, September, October, and November) so as to avoid experimental uncertainty resulting from too large season-to-season variability in ambient temperature and solar photon intensity that would lead to unstable/non-stationary size distributions. Therefore, the seasons were analyzed independently for possible sources. Ten sources were identified at both sites and these include traffic, nucleation, residential/commercial heating, industrial emissions, secondary nitrate, ozone- rich secondary aerosol, secondary sulfate, regionally transported aerosol, and a mixed source of nucleation and traffic. These results show that the measured total outdoor particle number concentrations in Rochester generally vary with similar temporal patterns, suggesting that the central monitoring site data can be used to estimate outdoor exposure in other parts of the city.     

Geosynthetic reinforced piled embankment modeling using discrete and continuum approaches

Understanding the load transfer mechanism can support engineers having more economical design of geosynthetic reinforced piled embankments. This study aims to investigate the load transfer mechanisms by two different numerical methods including the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and the Finite Difference Method (FDM). The DEM model adopts (a) discrete particles to simulate the micro-structure of the granular materials and (b) coupled discrete element – finite element method (DEM-FEM) to capture the interaction between granular materials and geotextiles. On the other hand, the FDM model uses an advanced constitutive soil model considering the hardening and softening behaviour of the granular materials. The numerical results show that the geotextiles can only contribute to the vertical loading resistance in cases where the soils between piles are soft enough. In terms of design, an optimum value of the geotextile tensile stiffness can be found considering the load, the soft soil stiffness and the thickness of the embankment. Both the DEM and the FDM show that a high geotextile tensile stiffness is not required since an extra stiffness will slightly contribute to the efficiency of the geosynthetic reinforced piled embankments. Nevertheless, both models are useful to optimize the design of geosynthetic reinforced piled embankments.     

Round robin test on angle of repose: DEM simulation results collected from 16 groups around the world

The round robin test (the simultaneous analysis of the same problem) is a method to investigate the variance and sensitivity of results provided by different analysts for a given problem and the reliability of the particular software used by each group participating in the test. A round robin test has been conducted for the traditional numerical method (e.g., finite difference method), but not yet for the discrete element method (DEM). This paper presents the results of the first ever round robin test on the DEM simulation for the angle of repose, involving 16 groups from around the world using different softwares. Within the scope of this round robin test, most groups reported similar simulation results for the angle of repose that differed only by a few degrees from the average of the experimental values, which was initially concealed from participants. There was also good agreement on the degree of variance of the angle of repose. In addition, this paper revealed the recent trends on the interparticle constitutive models and DEM softwares by considering the reports obtained from the participants.     

Energy efficiency of fibre reinforced soil formation at small element scale: Laboratory and numerical investigation

This paper explores the aspects related to the energy consumption for the compaction of unreinforced and fibre reinforced samples fabricated in the laboratory. It is well known that, for a fixed soil density, the addition of fibres invariably results in an increased resistance to compaction. However, similar peak strength properties of a dense unreinforced sample can be obtained using looser granular soil matrices mixed with small quantities of fibres. Based on both experimental and discrete element modelling (DEM) procedures, this paper demonstrates that less compaction energy is required for building loose fibre reinforced sand samples than for denser unreinforced sand samples while both samples show similar peak strength properties. Beyond corroborating the macro-scale experimental observations, the result of the DEM analyses provides an insight into the local micro-scale mechanisms governing the fibre-grain interaction. These assessments focus on the evolution of the void ratio distribution, re-arrangement of soil particles, mobilisation of stresses in the fibres, and the evolution of the fibre orientation distribution during the stages of compaction.     

Floc morphology and size distributions of cohesive sediment in steady-state flow

Fractal dimensions of particle populations of cohesive sediment were examined during deposition experiments in an annular flume at four conditions of steady-state flow (0.058, 0.123, 0.212 and 0.323Pa). Light microscopy and an image analysis system were used to determine area, longest axis and perimeter of suspended solids. Four fractal dimensions (D, D(1), D(2), D(k)) were calculated from the slopes of regression lines of the relevant variables on double log plots. The fractal dimension D, which relates the projected area (A) to the perimeter (P) of the particle (P proportional, variant A(D/2)), increased from 1.25+/-0.005 at a shear stress of 0.058Pa to a maximum of 1.36+/-0.003 at 0.121Pa then decreased to 1.34+/-0.001 at 0.323Pa. The change in D indicated that particle boundaries became more convoluted and the shape of larger particles was more irregular at higher levels of shear stress. At the highest shear stress, the observed decrease in D resulted from floc breakage due to increased particle collisions. The fractal dimension D(1), which relates the longest axis (l) to the perimeter of the particle (P proportional to l(D1)), increased from 1.00+/-0.006 at a shear stress of 0.058Pa to a maximum of 1.25+/-0.003 at 0.325Pa. The fractal dimension D(2), which relates the longest axis with the projected area of the particle (A proportional to l(D(2)), increased from 1.35+/-0.014 at a shear stress of 0.058Pa to a maximum of 1.81+/-0.005 at 0.323Pa. The observed increases in D(1) and D(2) indicate that particles became more elongated with increasing shear stress. Values of the fractal dimension D(k), resulting from the Korcak's empirical law for particle population, decreased from 3.68+/-0.002 at a shear stress of 0.058Pa to 1.33+/-0.001 at 0.323Pa and indicate that the particle size distribution changed from a population of similar sized particles at low shear to larger flocculated particles at higher levels of shear. The results show that small particle clusters (micro-flocs) are the formational units of larger flocs in the water column and the stability of larger flocs is a function of the shear stress at steady state.     

Effect of particle shape on the response of geogrid-reinforced systems: Insights from 3D discrete element analysis

Understanding soil-geogrid interaction is essential for the analysis and design of reinforced soil systems. Modeling this interaction requires proper consideration for the geogrid geometry and the particulate nature of the backfill soil. This is particularly true when angular soil particles (e.g. crushed limestone) are used as a backfill material. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) discrete element model that is capable of capturing the response of unconfined and soil-confined geogrid material is developed and used to study the response of crushed limestone reinforced with geogrid and subjected to surface loading. The 3D shape of the crushed limestone is modeled by tracing the surface areas of a typical particle and fitting a number of bonded spheres into the generated surface. Model calibration is performed using triaxial tests to determine the microparameters that allow for the stress-strain behaviour of the backfill material to be replicated. To demonstrate the role of particle shape on the soil-geogrid interaction, the analysis is also performed using spherical particles and the calculated response is compared with that obtained using modeled surfaces. The biaxial geogrid used in this study is also modeled using the discrete element method and the unconfined response is compared with the available index test results. This study suggests that modeling the 3D geogrid geometry is important to accurately capture the geogrid response under both confined and unconfined conditions. Accounting for the particle shape in the analysis can significantly enhance the predicted response of the geogrid-soil system. The modeling approach proposed in this study can be adapted for other reinforced soil applications.     

Particle breakage of granular materials during sample preparation

Particle breakage is commonly observed in granular materials when subjected to external loads. It was found that particle breakage would occur during both sample preparation and loading stages. However, main attention was usually paid to the particle breakage behaviour of samples during loading stage. This study attempts to explore the breakage behaviour of granular materials during sample preparation. Triaxial samples of rockfill aggregates are prepared by layered compaction method to achieve different relative densities. Extents of particle breakage based on the gradings before and after test are presented and analysed. It is found that particle breakage during sample preparation cannot be ignored. Gradings after test are observed to shift away from the initial grading. Aggregates with larger size that appear to break are more than the smaller-sized ones. Irrespective of the initial gradings, an increase in the extent of particle breakage with the increasing relative density is observed during sample preparation.