A micromechanical-based micropolar theory for deformation of granular solids (Q1196519)

Granular material, perceived as a collection of particles, is modelled as a micropolar continuum taking account of the discreteness and microstructure of the material. The new feature of the proposed model is that the constitutive coefficients are derived in explicit terms of grain contact properties. In addition, the constitutive law, the equilibrium equations and the compatibility equations for granular material are derived to completely define a boundary value problem. Using the derived constitutive law and field equations, a procedure based on finite element analysis is described to obtain approximated solutions for boundary value problems.