Prediction of Dynamic Contact Loads in Granular Assemblies

An experimental-numerical hybrid technique has been developed to predict the intergranular contact load transfer in granular media subjected to explosive loading. The granular media were simulated by assemblies of circular disks in contact. The peak contact load transfer coefficients (i. e., the ratio of the maximum output contact load to the input contact load as a function of the contact angles) of a given particle were obtained through controlled experimental studies. These coefficients, along with the principle of superposition, were then used to predict the peak contact loads in several regular as well as irregular assemblies of disks. The predicted results compared favorably with the experimental data for several different assemblies.