Mechanics of Free-Flowing Media

Mechanics of Free-Flowing Media

 

the branch of continuum mechanics that deals with the equilibrium and movement of free-flowing media, such as sands, clays, other soils, and grain. The principal aims of this branch of mechanics are the determination of the pressure of soils on retaining walls, the determination of the shape of possible slip surfaces of slopes, the calculation of the depth needed for foundations, the determination of the pressure of grain on the walls of elevators, and the study of wave processes in soils under dynamic loading. One of the main subdivisions of the mechanics of free-flowing media is soil mechanics.