Numerical analysis of plastic behavior of granular media exposed to deformation under broken path loading

Based on DEM, the problem on uniform shearing of granular material specimen is considered, the shape of the particles was chosen to be spherical, with assigned distribution per radii. At interfaces of the particles, dry friction and viscosity were taken into account. Loading was implemented as simple and broken trajectory shearing. The load trajectory was broken by means of sudden change in the shearing direction. It has been found that in this case, dilatancy rate and angle between axes of tensors of stresses and strain rates change jump-wise. The discrete medium shows the properties of the continuum model of granular material with internal friction and dilatancy. The authors discuss a criterion of the continuum model to be equivalent to the initial discrete model. Applicability of the numerical results to the continuum modeling of deformation is demonstrated.