Limestone Powders Yielding and Steady State Resistance under shearing with different testers

Abstract

We study the effect of both particle size and shear testers on the failure (yielding) and the steady state shear strength of granular materials. Physical experiments are carried out on four fine limestone powders using a geotechnical direct shear tester and the standard Schulze ring shear tester to explore both material behaviors and device influence. The direct shear tester is validated by comparing the yield locus measurements with the Schulze ring shear tester. A good agreement is found between these two testers and this unveils the possibility of using different testers across different scientific communities/regimes. The termination locus is then studied in direct shear tester for the four limestone powders. A pronounced particle size effect is evident on both the angle of internal friction and the steady state angle of internal friction, which highlight the effect of the inter-particle cohesion