Experimental analysis of interface behavior between sand and corrugated surfaces with DIC technique

Abstract The paper deals with laboratory investigations of the interface between sand and sinusoidal corrugated surface in the direct shear apparatus under constant normal load. The 3D printing technology was used to provide a custom-built direct shear box and to construct different topographies of corrugated surfaces. A series of interface shearing experiments with different sinusoidal corrugated surfaces were analyzed using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. The micro-behavior of the shear zone was evaluated. It has been shown that the increase of the corrugation coefficient d/l induces the increase of the forces exerted on the surface and the volumetric changes. Direct sliding of the material on the surface was observed for smooth surfaces. In contrast, the shear plane was observed above the corrugation valleys, inside the material and at the corrugation peaks for rough surfaces. The critical value of the corrugation coefficient, ranging between 0.053 and 0.147, was found to be the boundary between rough and smooth interfaces. The grain-on-surface friction component was between 19% and 32%, and the grain-on-grain component was between 68 and 81% for rough interfaces with the shear zone thickness ranging from 4×d50 to 5×d50. The presented research provides unique insights into the micro-behavior of the interface between the granular material and the sinusoidal corrugated surface.