Modeling of shear localization during confined granular flow in silos within non-local hypoplasticity

The paper deals with multiple shear zones in the interior of cohesionless granular bodies during plane strain quasi-static granular flow with controlled outlet velocity in experimental silos. The finite element calculations were carried out with a hypoplastic constitutive model enhanced by a characteristic length of micro-structure by means of a non-local theory to obtain mesh-independent results. The constitutive model can reproduce the essential features of granular materials during shear localization. FE analyses were performed with the help of an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation using an explicit time integration approach for experimental silos containing initially dense dry cohesionless sand. Silo walls were assumed to be very rough or smooth. Emphasis was given to the propagation of multiple shear zones in the interior of flowing sand. The numerical results were compared with corresponding experimental tests.