Resistance law of a rod penetrating a multilayer granular raft

This paper presents an experimental study on the resistance law of a rod vertically penetrating different kinds of multilayer granular rafts with a constant velocity so as to reveal the mechanical properties of the multilayer granular rafts. The resistance was quasi-static under the chosen velocity. Experiments were conducted with different granular thicknesses, rod diameters and combinations of particles and liquids. The study shows that the resistance–displacement relation of the rod has three smooth stages. In the first stage, the resistance rapidly increased. In the second stage, the resistance curve maintained an almost constant slope. In the third stage, the resistance smoothly changed with its slope continuously increasing. Based on the corresponding physical models for each stage, the study reveals the exponential dependence of the load-bearing capacity of the multilayer granular raft on its thickness, and clarifies the capillary effects on the resistance law. The study extends the knowledge of the granular raft from monolayer to multilayer structure.