Evaluation the effect of particle sphericity on direct shear mechanical behavior of granular materials using discrete element method (DEM)

Granular materials are an essential component of many fields, such as the medicine and agriculture industries, where their behavior is affected by the properties of constituent particles.The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a potential technique used to describe the mechanical behavior of granular materials by making a mechanical model which describes the affected parameters, and one of these parameters is the shape of particles.It is an important characteristic that is represented by a sphericity index.In this study, the macro and micromechanical shear behaviors of granular materials are investigated using the Discrete Element Method (DEM).For this purpose, a three-dimensional (3D) program (EDEM) was developed on the basis of (DEM) and was used to model various particle shapes for a direct shear test.An assembly with a different particle center distance was prepared.The results showed a changing relationship between shear strength and the sphericity index, and micro-mechanical responses showed that particle shape affected the shape and the thickness of the shear zone.