ABSTRACT
In cohesionless granular materials, experiments by the photo-elastic visualization and simulations show that the distribution of the contact force network, resulting from externally applied load, is very inhomogeneous (Dantu, 1957; Makse et al. 2000; Radjai & Roux 2004). It is this network of contacts that determines most salient mechanical properties of a dense granular medium such as its ability to bear a load, nonlinear elastic response and flow behavior.
