No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
We present the results of different experiments which aim is to investigate the response of a static granular assemblies to various local perturbations. We design a sensitive experimental method to probe the response of a localized stress at the top of a granular piling. The piling is an horizontal 3D granular layer confined in a box and the spatial distribution of loads at the bottom is monitored. This analysis defines some crucial experimental test to inform a currently debated issue on the mechanical status of static granular assemblies.