Comparison Of Direct Shear Test Simulations From Britain And France

The shear box is widely used to measure the properties of both granular solids and soils. In the form of the Jenike shear cell, it is the standard apparatus and holds a key place in practical bulk solids handling. However, the stress state in the box is poorly defined and the relationship between external force measurements on the box and more careful tests is hard to define. This paper explores this relationship by developing several numerical models which attempt to sum the solid's response at different points into measurable box parameters. It uses both discrete element and finite element models. The results show that this relationship is not easily found and that it is difficult to produce a rigorous theoretical simulation of all the key features of the shear cell.