Impact of a dry granular flow against a rigid wall: MPM simulations with a new constitutive approach

Abstract

The dynamic interaction between granular flowing masses and obstacles is a very complex phenomenon involving large displacements and high strain rates. To simulate the event in a continuum-based framework both advanced numerical tools and constitutive relationships are required. In this work, the impact of a dry granular mass against a rigid wall is numerically simulated using the open-source Material Point Method code ANURA3D, while the constitutive model proposed by Marveggio et al., 2021 is adopted for the granular mass. The model accounts for rate and grain packing dependence, which have been shown to be crucial to reproduce the propagation of compression and rarefaction waves inside the mass. The model is capable of reproducing “solidification” and “liquefaction” phenomena observed in the DEM impact tests results already available in the literature.