Microstructural modeling for elastic moduli of bonded granules

In this paper, a microgranular mechanics approach is used to derive an expression for the elastic moduli of an assembly of bonded granulates, based on the response of two particles that are connected by an elastic binder. The derived modulus is a function of the particle/binder modulus, the particle size, the binder thickness, the binder width, the assembly coordination number, the binder content, and the porosity. To demonstrate its applicability, the predicted range of the modulus using the derived model is compared with that measured from experiments. The difference between this method and the traditional homogenization models will be discussed.