Compactivity and transmission of stress in granular materials

We outline a statistical-mechanical theory of granular materials. Stress propagation and force fluctuations in static granular media are still poorly understood. We develop the statistical-mechanical theory that delivers the fundamental equations of stress equilibrium. The formalism is based on the assumptions that grains are rigid, cohesionless, and that friction is perfect. Since grains are assumed perfectly rigid, no strain or displacement field can enter the equations for static equilibrium of the stress field. The complete system of equations for the stress tensor is derived from the equations of intergranular force and torque balance, given the geometric specification of the material. These new constitutive equations are indeed fundamental and are based on relations between various components of the stress tensor within the material, and depend on the topology of the granular packing. The problem of incorporating into the formalism the "no tensile forces" constraint is considered. The compactivity concept is reviewed. We discuss the relation between the concept of compactivity and the problem of stress transmission. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1054-1500(99)03103-2].