A micromechanical numerical analysis for a triaxial compression of granular materials.

We focus on a triaxial compression at constant pressure in which a granular material, after an isotropic preparation, is sheared in a small range of monotone deformation. The aggregate is made by identical, elastic, spheres that interact through a non central contact forces. Because of the loading condition the material is transversely isotropic. Through a numerical analysis we show that aggregates with same pressure and porosity behave differently depending on the initial coordination number (i.e. the average number of contacts per particle). The relation of stress, volume change, elastic moduli and microstructure with the initial contact network is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]