Abstract The micro-structural fabric and topology play a key role in macroscopic responses of granular materials. Generally, the contact network is formed by connecting centers of interactive particles, which could be divided into strong and weak contact subsets. Different topological, geometrical and mechanical characteristics could be found for the two parts of network, and the threshold is somehow artificial. Based on true triaxial DEM simulation results, this paper focuses on the fabric anisotropies and the connectivity characteristics of strong contact networks distinguished by different contact force thresholds, moreover the roles of particles with different coordination numbers in the strong networks are identified. The strong contact network characterizes the main features of the macro stress tensor and the proper threshold for discriminating strong and weak contact networks falls in a range. Particles connected by 2 contacts are important in forming the strong contact network and reflecting the main features of force anisotropy.

中文翻译：

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颗粒材料中的强接触、连通性和织物各向异性：3D 透视图

摘要 微观结构结构和拓扑结构在颗粒材料的宏观响应中起关键作用。通常，接触网络由交互粒子的中心连接而成，可分为强接触子集和弱接触子集。网络的两部分可以发现不同的拓扑、几何和力学特性，并且阈值在某种程度上是人为的。本文基于真三轴DEM模拟结果，重点研究了不同接触力阈值区分的强接触网络的结构各向异性和连通性特征，并识别了不同配位数的粒子在强网络中的作用。强接触网络表征了宏观应力张量的主要特征，区分强弱接触网络的适当阈值落在一个范围内。由 2 个接触连接的粒子对于形成强接触网络和反映力各向异性的主要特征很重要。