Experimental evidence and structural mechanics analysis of force chain buckling at the microscale in a 2D polymeric granular layer

Abstract

The force chain concept underlies a significant fraction of our current understanding of the mechanics and stability of granular solids. One of the more interesting physical questions that remain unanswered relates to how a granular solid traverses the transition in state to that of a granular fluid. One possibility is that the transition is initiated by the buckling of loaded columns of particles. Here we explore the physics of force chain buckling through a combination of experiment and theory, for the first time explicitly verifying the phenomena. In our idealized experiments, a monolayer of micron scale particles is adhered to a soft elastomer foundation and a uniaxial stress is applied ..