inspecting the behavior of the rockfill materials is of significant importance in analysis of rockfill dams. since the dimensions of grains in such materials are greater than the conventional sizes suitable for soil mechanics tests, it is necessary to experimentally study them in specific large-scale apparatuses. in this research, the behavior of rockfill materials in two large rockfill dams co...

This paper reports the findings of research examining the blast resistance of bridge piers that are designed in accordance with current knowledge and specifications to ensure ductile seismic performance. Blast testing was conducted on 1/4 scale ductile RC columns, and nonductile RC columns retrofitted with steel jacketing. The seismically designed RC and steel jacketed RC columns did not exhibi...

One of the most common methods to measure soil mechanical properties (namely cohesion and internal friction angle) is direct shear box test. In this paper the development of a three-dimensional (3D) discrete element soil model for simulation of a cohesive soil’s direct shear test is presented. The aim was to calibrate the properties of the Hertz-Mindlin with bonding contact model available in E...

We study the effect of particle cohesion on the steady state shear strength of a granular material. For cohesive powders, the steady state shear loci (termination loci) from DEM simulations are nonlinear with a peculiar pressure dependence due to the non-linear increase of contact adhesion with pressure in the contact model. Physical experiments are carried out on fine limestone powder in the d...

Articular chondrocytes experience a variety of mechanical stimuli during daily activity. One such stimulus, direct shear, is known to affect chondrocyte homeostasis and induce catabolic or anabolic pathways. Understanding how single chondrocytes respond biomechanically and morphologically to various levels of applied shear is an important first step toward elucidating tissue level responses and...