Journal of Shanghai University(Natural Science Edition) ›› 2017, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (5): 780-788.doi: 10.12066/j.issn.1007-2861.1672

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PFC numerical simulation of direct shear tests on standard sand

LI Hang, LU Ye, SUN Kang   

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
  • Received:2015-10-20 Online:2017-10-30 Published:2017-10-30

Abstract:

As a common method of indoor soil test, direct shear test is widely used in practice. However research on its shear band, involving the test method and test apparatus, is insufficient. Particle flow code (PFC) is the most used simulation software, which takes particle as a basic unit, and can be used to simulate the particle properties of the material. Accordingly, the effect of particle shape and initial porosity of the sample on the macro mechanical behavior of the direct shear is studied in numerical simulation using PFC. By successfully establishing a numerical model of direct shear test on sands, the coordination number of the particles, particle velocity field and local porosity distribution is analyzed. The shear band in sands is not a straight line, but a slope and curvature. Thickness of the shear band is about 10.37 times the size of mean particle diameter.

Key words: numerical simulation, shear band, shear test, standard sand