A NEW BLOCK MODEL OF HEAPS

This paper describes the computer generation of heaps of blocks and the calculation of the force distribution at the base of the heaps. The computer model allows heaps to be generated randomly with different supporting lengths as desired, and the forces at the base of the heap of the blocks to be calculated as the size of the heap increases. The results show that the general distribution of the vertical forces at the base of the heap of the blocks is affected by both the size of the heap and the supporting length of the blocks in the heap. When the size of heaps is small, the distribution shows a peaked profile reflecting the material profile above. As the size of the heaps increases, the distribution becomes a characteristic 'M' distribution, with a valley between two peaks. With further increase of heap size, the more blocks in the heap, the more random the supporting length for the large number of blocks becomes. This may be a main reason why the forces vary about the general shape in large-scale size heaps. This latter aspect warrants further investigation.