Numerical investigation into particle crushing effects on the shear behavior of gravel

This paper presents numerical investigations into the particle crushing effect on the shear properties of gravel under direct shear condition. A novel particle crushing model was developed based on the octahedral shear stress criterion and fragment replacement method. A series of direct shear tests were carried out on unbreakable particles and breakable particles with different strengths. The evolutions of the particle crushing, shear strength, volumetric strain behavior, and contact force fabric during shearing were analyzed. It was observed that the number of crushed particles increased with the increase of the shear displacement and axial pressure and decreased with the particle strength increasing. Moreover, the shear strength and volume dilatancy were obviously decreased with particle crushing. The shear displacement of particles starting to crush was close to that corresponding to the peak shear stress got. Besides, the shear-hardening behavior was obviously affected by the number of crushed particles. A microanalysis showed that due to particle crushing, the contact forces and anisotropy decreased. The mechanism of the particle crushing effect on the shear strength was further clarified in terms of the particle friction and interlock.