Combined effects of contact friction and particle shape on strength properties and microstructure of sheared granular media

We present a systematic numerical investigation concerning the combined effects of sliding friction and particle shape (i.e., angularity) parameters on the shear strength and microstructure of granular packings. Sliding friction at contacts varied from 0 (frictionless particles) to 0.7, and the particles were irregular polygons with an increasing number of sides, ranging from triangles to disks. We find that the effect of local friction on shear...