ABSTRACT
In order to investigate the profile of granular material under ring shearing conditions, a series of DEM simulations were performed with an effective algorithm for keeping the confining stress constant. The simulation results revealed that: (1) The residual frictional angle has a positive linear relationship, insensibly as it is, to the logarithms of shear strain rate even under different confining stresses. (2) With increasing shear strain rate, the velocity distribution converged into a sigmoidal shape irrespectively of the confining stress. (3) The gravity center produced by the particle set continues to keep its vertical position even in highly sheared zones. (4) The mean coordination number linearly decreases with the increase in the void ratio; it remains as small as 63% of those obtained under the statically packed conditions.
