Crossover from quasi-static to dense flow regime in compressed frictional granular media

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of multi-scale mechanical properties towards the macroscopic mechanical instability in frictional granular media under multiaxial compressive loading. Spatial correlations of shear stress redistribution following nucleating contact sliding events and shear strain localization are investigated. We report growing correlation lengths associated to both shear stress and shear strain fields that diverge simultaneously as approaching the transition to a dense flow regime. This shows that the transition from quasi static to dense flow regime can be interpreted as a critical phase transition. Our results suggest that no shear band with a characteristic thickness has formed at the onset of instability.

References in corpus (3)

• Topological persistence and dynamical heterogeneities near jamming
• An experimental assessment of displacement fluctuations in a 2D granular material subjected to shear
• Laws of Granular Solids. Geometry and Topology

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• From plastic flow to brittle fracture: role of microscopic friction in amorphous solids
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