Heterogeneity and patterning in the quasi-static behavior of granular materials

Heterogeneity is classified in five categories—topologic, geometric, kinematic, static, and constitutive—and the first four categories are investigated in a numerical DEM simulation of biaxial compression. The simulation experiments show that the topology and geometric fabric become more variable during loading. The measured fluctuations in inter-particle movements are large, they increase with loading, and they extend to distances of at least eight particle diameters. Deformation and rotation heterogeneity are large and are expressed in spatial patterning. Stress heterogeneity is moderate throughout loading.