Abstract:
The Critical State Framework describes a relationship between the shear strength and
the void ratio of a soil and it is mostly applicable to describe the behavior of pure clay and pure sand
samples of relatively uniform particle sizes. However, mixtures of different particle size materials do not
always follow this theory; the presence of some small particles can destabilize and affect the behavior of
those mixtures under the applied shear stress. This Project's main objective is to investigate the effect of
the fines content in mixtures of sand and fine particles using Discrete Element Method (DEM) computer
simulations and Direct Shear (DS) laboratory testing. Investigation of the effect of the fines content on the
force distribution between particles and hence on the shear strength of the materials can be helpful in the
prediction of the shear strength and deformation characteristics of granular mixtures in civil engineering
and powder industries.