The project aims at the study of the friction mechanism of particles along an interface with a solid body by conducting theoretical and experimental work. The theoretical work is based on a mechanical (S.G.-Sphere-in- the-Groove) model of a single particle . The experimental work entails building two testing apparatuses. One will utilize photoelastic ideal particles to study the interparticle and interface/particle contacts. The other apparatus will study the friction between ideal particles and natural sands along interfaces of controlled roughness. The experimental and theoretical work will then be incorporated to predict friction coefficient of granular soil .
