This paper presents a detailed computational investigation of the effect of particle shape on
the interface shear behavior of granular materials. The discrete element method (DEM)
using clusters to model rough particles is used, expanding the procedure introduced in an
earlier paper by Jensen et al.[1]. Seven new cluster shapes (ie, particle configurations) of
varying degrees of roughness are presented herein, and numerical experiments simulating
ring shear tests are made using these clusters. From these simulations, the effect of particle …

Solid surface-particulate media interfaces have been studied for many years. In particulate
media such as sand, these interfaces have been characterized as being only a few particle
diameters thick and as being a region of large relative deformations [2, 3]. Understanding
how loads and defonnations are developed across dtese interfaces is key to accurately
analyzing and designing structure-media systems. Interface behavior is influenced by
phenomena that we will put into two categories. The first category includes the influence of …