Stress response function of a granular layer: quantitative comparison between experiments and isotropic elasticity

D. Serero (1) , G. Reydellet (1) , P. Claudin (1) , E. Clément (1) , D. Levine

1 LMDH - Laboratoire des Milieux Désordonnés et Hétérogènes

We measured the vertical pressure response function of a layer of sand submitted to a localized normal force at its surface. We found that this response profile depends on the way the layer has been prepared: all profiles show a single centered peak whose width scales with the thickness of the layer, but a dense packing gives a wider peak than a loose one. We calculate the prediction of isotropic elastic theory in presence of a bottom boundary and compare it to the data. We found that the theory gives the right scaling and the correct qualitative shape, but fails to really fit the data.

Domaines: Autre [cond-mat.other]

D. Serero, G. Reydellet, P. Claudin, E. Clément, D. Levine. Stress response function of a granular layer: quantitative comparison between experiments and isotropic elasticity. European Physical Journal E: Soft matter and biological physics, 2001, 6, pp.169. ⟨hal-00117543⟩