A Micromechanical Investigation of Drained Simple Shear Tests

This paper describes a study of the simple shear apparatus that was carried out using the discrete element method (DEM). Two testing configurations were considered, in the first instance the lateral walls were taken to be rigid and they rotated during shearing, while the second configuration simulated laminar sidewalls. The DEM analysis allowed measurements of the forces along the boundaries to be made (as in the physical test), while the particle scale response mechanisms could also be analysed in detail. While the overall specimen responses were similar, the contact force network and distribution of strains within the sample both revealed differences in the internal material response. The strains within the specimen are highly non-uniform.