Particle breakage and its mechanical response in granular soils: A review and prospect

Granular soils are abundant in nature and extensively used for engineering purposes. Understanding the correlation between particle breakage and its mechanical response of these materials is crucial for construction and hazard assessment. This study reviews and summarizes the up-to-date studies of particle breakage into four research perspectives: statistical analysis, experimental investigation, numerical simulation, and theoretical analysis. The statistical analysis utilizes Weibull distribution and fractal theory to investigate the mechanical properties of particle breakage and gradation evolution. Experimental investigations involve shear, compression, and impact tests to explore the macro-micro mechanical behavior of granular soils. Numerical simulations focus on two mainstream methods, the bonding cell method (BCM) and the replacing method (RM), to simulate particle breakage behavior. The theoretical analysis is based on the critical state theory to incorporate the effects of particle breakage. In retrospect, previous research on particle breakage in granular soils has been majorly limited by available apparatus and focused mainly on interpreting macroscopic mechanical behavior. The future research prospect lies in exploring the microstructure's geometry, mechanics, and statistics within the particle system, which will provide a breakthrough in understanding particle breakage at a deeper level.