Influence of particle shape on creep and stress relaxation behaviors of granular materials based on DEM

The creep and stress relaxation behaviors stem from time-dependent changes in the microstructure of granular materials. As a non-negligible inherent granular material characteristic, particle shape plays a significant role on the formation and evolution of microstructure. However, the effects of particle shape on creep and stress relaxation behaviors of granular materials are still open questions. In this study, 3D DEM models based on the rate process theory and superellipsoids are incorporated to simulate the creep and stress relaxation of granular samples with different aspect ratios and blockiness. The results show that the aspect ratio and blockiness of particle have a great effect on creep and stress relaxation. However, the effects of aspect ratio and blockiness on creep and stress relaxation are coupled. Further analysis on contact forces shows the influences of aspect ratio and blockiness on creep mainly come from the contact force ratio. The influences of the aspect ratio and blockiness on stress relaxation mainly arise from the variation of the normal contact force anisotropy of the granular assemblies. The above results provide the tendency and mechanism on the effects of particle shape on creep and stress relaxation of granular assemblies.

Automated summary

Creep and stress relaxation behaviors in granular materials are influenced by the time-dependent changes in their microstructure, with particle shape playing a significant role. However, the effects of particle shape on these behaviors are still not well understood. In this study, 3D DEM models incorporating the rate process theory and superellipsoids are used to simulate creep and stress relaxation in granular samples with different aspect ratios and blockiness. The results show that both aspect ratio and blockiness have a significant influence on creep and stress relaxation, with aspect ratio affecting creep through contact force ratio and blockiness affecting stress relaxation through variation in normal contact force anisotropy. These findings provide insights into the effects of particle shape on creep and stress relaxation in granular assemblies.