The shear mechanism of granular materials has been studied from the microscopic point of view in order to analyze the basic macroscopic stress-strain relationship of soil. For this purpose, special direct shear tests were performed by using cylindrical rods of aluminum and of a photoelastic substance as two-dimensional models of soil. By introducing the concept of the frequency distribution of the angles "θ" of interparticle contact on the potential sliding plane (mobilized plane) and its variation during shear, and by evaluating the transmission of interparticle force "f" and the angle "φ
μ" of interparticle friction on the same plane, the relationship between the shear resistance (τ/σ
N : shear-normal stress ratio) and dilatancy rate (dε
N/dγ : normal-shear strain increment ratio), the relationship between the shear resistance(τ/σ
N) and dilatancy(ε
N : normal strain) on the mobilized plane, and the like have been derived from the microscopic analysis of the behavior of grains under shear. Based on the measured data of the change of the frequency distribution of θ during shear and the foregoing basic stress-strain relationships, the origin of the stress-strain curve of soil has been clearly explained.
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