Powder Technology: Hamzah M. Beakawi Al-Hashemi, Omar S. Baghabra Al-Amoudi

Powder Technology 330 (2018) 397–417
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Powder Technology
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/powtec
Review
A review on the angle of repose of granular materials

Hamzah M. Beakawi Al-Hashemi ⁎,1, Omar S. Baghabra Al-Amoudi 2
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history: The abundance of granular materials and powders that are being used in several fields, along with their broad
Received 17 September 2017 applications, requires a comprehensive understanding of both their macro- and micro-mechanical behavior.
Received in revised form 28 January 2018 The fabric and structural properties, or the inter-particle properties, such as the angle of repose, do affect the be-
Accepted 2 February 2018
havior of granular materials. This comprehensive review indicates that the angle of repose of granular material is
Available online 27 February 2018
an essential parameter to understand the micro-behavior of the granular material and, then, to relate it with the
Keywords:
macro-behavior. Therefore, this extensive review was prepared about the repose angle theory, its definitions,
Angle of repose method of measurements, appropriate applications and the influencing factors.
Geotechnical © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
Granular (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Measurements
Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
1.1. Granular materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
1.2. Definitions of angle of repose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
2. Measurement of the angle of repose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
2.1. State-of-the practice methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
2.1.1. Tilting box method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
2.1.2. Fixed funnel method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
2.1.3. Revolving cylinder/drum method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
2.1.4. Hollow cylinder method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
2.1.5. Tilting cylinder method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
2.1.6. Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
2.2. State-of-the-art methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
3. Applications of the angle of repose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
3.1. Major applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
3.1.1. Agricultural engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
3.1.2. Entomology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
3.1.3. Geotechnical engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
3.1.4. Hydrodynamics and sedimentology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
3.1.5. Particle technology and materials science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
3.2. Other applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
3.3. Calibration of numerical models and simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
4. Influential factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
4.1. Geometrical properties of the particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
4.1.1. Particle roundness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
4.1.2. Sphericity of particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
4.1.3. Roughness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
⁎ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (H.M. Beakawi Al-Hashemi).
1
0000-0002-3991-1712
2
0000-0001-5078-9204
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2018.02.003
0032-5910/© 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
398 H.M. Beakawi Al-Hashemi, O.S. Baghabra Al-Amoudi / Powder Technology 330 (2018) 397–417
4.2. Particle size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

4.3. Friction coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
4.3.1. Sliding (Coulomb) friction coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
4.3.2. Rolling friction coefficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
4.3.3. Angle of internal friction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
4.4. Coefficient of restitution (damping) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
4.5. Number of particles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
4.6. Moisture content and air flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
4.7. Methods of measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
5. Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
6. Recommendations for future research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
1. Introduction descriptions of the angle of repose are associated with specific applica-
tions and the corresponding behavior (i.e., flowability, friction, etc.).
In industrial and engineering applications, the use of granular mate- Therefore, the objectives of studying and determining the angle of re-
rials such as powders, seeds, and soils is unavoidable [1]. Therefore, fur- pose of any granular material should be predetermined so that an ap-
ther studies and improvements are currently needed to optimize and propriate and relevant definition can be adopted in the context of
facilitate the process of handling and manufacturing bulk granular mate- those objectives. Physically, the angle of repose can be defined as the
rials. Such improvements are contingent on the elucidation of the various angle that differentiates the transitions between phases of the granular
properties and mechanical behavior of these materials. The challenges of material [7]. One of the most commonly used definitions of the angle of
handling and manufacturing granular materials arise when the materials repose is the steepest slope of the unconfined material, measured from
are sheared or disturbed because they will behave as non-Newtonian the horizontal plane on which the material can be heaped without
fluids instead of stable, solid materials [2]. Moreover, the stress distribu- collapsing [8].
tion in granular materials is not uniform but is distributed along the force For powders, which can be defined as small-sized granular materials
chains [3], which depend on the particle contacts and packing arrange- subject to cohesion and suspension in a gas, the definition of the angle of
ment. The flowability of granules is dependent on a set of parameters, repose is frequently linked with the Hausner ratio or the tapped-to-bulk
one of which is the angle of repose [4]. Therefore, while the angle of re- density ratio [9], and the powders will flow at angles greater than the
pose can be used as an indication of flowability, this angle is controlled angle of repose [10]. The angle of repose can also indicate the cohesive-
by numerous factors and has different definitions, methods of measure- ness of the granular material [11], referring to the Carr classification of
ment, and applications that are discussed in this review. flowability [12,13] shown in Table 1. However, for cohesive materials,
the angle of repose is hard to obtain. Hence, indirect methods are
1.1. Granular materials often used, such as the angle-composition plot method [14], which is
based on mixing the cohesive material with granular material and plot-
While the primary material used in industry is fluid, the second most ting the composition against the respective angle of repose to indirectly
widely used material is of granular nature [1]. Granular material is a obtain the angle of repose of the cohesive material.
cluster of distinct particles that lose energy when interacting with In soil mechanics, Karl Terzaghi defined the angle of repose as a spe-
other particles [5]. Commonly, the particle size determines if a material cial internal friction angle that is acquired under extreme (loosest state)
is considered granular. The minimum particle size of the granular mate- conditions [15]. Additionally, it may be defined as the angle of
rial is 1 μm, and materials with a smaller particle size may be subjected maximum slope inclination at which the soil is barely stable [16].
to thermal motion oscillations. For instance, soils are called granular, Geotechnically, the primary application of the angle of repose is in the
coarse-grained, or cohesionless when N50% of the weight of the soil is determination of slope stability and design of retaining structures [17].
sand and gravel that have sizes ranging from 0.07 to 5 mm and 5 to Generally, the angle of repose is related to the static friction coefficient
75 mm, respectively [6]. Granular soils are often non-plastic and will and the angle of internal friction. In the literature, the angle of repose
not form coherent matter when wet. The permeability of the granular is often assumed to be equal to the residual internal friction angle or
soil is high to moderate due to the presence of voids. Nonetheless, a the constant volume angle in a critical state [18–20]. This assumption
small amount of fine material, such as clay, when present in the granular is not always correct because the behavior of granular soil under low
soil may significantly change the bulk behavior and properties of the confining pressure is considerably different than that under zero confin-
soil. The mechanical behavior of the granular material is affected by its ing pressure [21]. Moreover, for fine and dry granular material with a
structure and fabric and the effective applied stress. Factors like density, small angle of repose and a particle size b5 μm, no defined relationship
anisotropy and particle arrangement will determine the material struc- exists between the repose and internal friction angles [22]. As per the
ture, while the particle shape, size, contacts, and distribution will con- classical Coulomb's theory of the friction/material [23]; the angle of in-
trol the fabric. The particle size gradation of granular soil can be used ternal friction is approximated as the arctan of the maximum static fric-
to indicate its origin [6]. Poorly-graded soils are usually found in alluvial tion coefficient (i.e., the angle of repose). This approximation is based on
and aeolian deposits, while well-graded soils are found in glacial de-
posits. However, the shape and size of a granular material have a consid-
erable effect on its behavior and properties, such as the void ratio, Table 1
Carr classification of flowability of powder based on repose angle [12].
crushability, compressibility, deformation, strength, relative density, in-
ternal friction and angle of repose. Description Repose Angle
Very free-flowing b30°

1.2. Definitions of angle of repose Free flowing 30–38°
Fair to passable flow 38–45°
The definition of the angle of repose should be application- and Cohesive 45–55°
Very cohesive (non-flowing) N55°
behavior-specific. The different types (static and dynamic) and
H.M. Beakawi Al-Hashemi, O.S. Baghabra Al-Amoudi / Powder Technology 330 (2018) 397–417 399
some assumptions such as the frictional force is independent of the con-

tact area, and it is linearly related to the normal force, and the heaped
materials form perfect conical shapes which is not always the case
[24]. However, it was reported that a decrease in normal forces could
be associated with an increase in friction forces which contradicts
with the Coulomb's theory [25].
Numerous factors, such as the angle of internal friction, grain size
and shape, density, moisture content, interface friction angle, stratifica-
tion, roughness of the base at which the material is heaped, segregation,
pull-out velocity of the hollow cylinder (a measurement instrument for
the angle of repose), mass of the material, pouring height, morphology
of the material, and addition of solvents, can affect the angle of repose,
as shown later in this review. The angle of internal friction is the angle
between the normal and resultant forces that occur at failure due to
shear stresses within a substance, while the interface friction angle is
used to determine the skin frictional resistance between different
substances. Moreover, when the interface friction angle is determined Fig. 1. DEM simulation of static angle of repose (www.Simphysics.com).
between two surfaces of the same type of material, it can be proportion-
ate to the peak angle of internal friction by a ratio between approxi-
mately 0.2 and 1.0 [26,27]. In general, the angle of repose ranges from although such techniques require further development before applica-
0° to 90°; while for sand, it ranges from 30° to 35° [28,29], as reported tion to natural materials [34]. The most common methods used to de-
in Table 2 [30]. termine the angle of repose physically are presented below.
2. Measurement of the angle of repose 2.1.1. Tilting box method

The tilting box method is suitable for cohesionless, fine-grained ma-
Analogous to the definition of the angle of repose, the method of terials with a grain size b10 mm. The box must contain at least one
measurement should be selected based on predefined objectives and transparent side; the granular material is placed on the base of the
for a specific material and application. Although there are different box, and then the box is tilted gradually at a rate of 18°/min. The angle
methods and guidelines available in the literature, the methods are nei- of repose is then measured as the tilting angle at which the material be-
ther standardized nor consistent [31]. The existing methods measure gins to slide [7,35], as shown Fig. 2. However, this method provides the
both the static and dynamic angle of repose, as will be discussed later coefficient of static (sliding) friction rather than the angle of repose.
in this section. However, for each method, instruments of different
size and scale are used. 2.1.2. Fixed funnel method
In the fixed funnel method, the granular materials are poured from a
2.1. State-of-the practice methods funnel at a certain height onto a selected base with known roughness
properties. The funnel is either fixed or raised slowly while the conical
Originally, the angle of repose was physically measured in the eigh- shape of the material heap is forming to minimize the effect of the fall-
teenth century by Coulomb [23]. The angle of repose can be determined ing particles. The pouring of the material is stopped when the heap
by numerical methods such as the discrete, or distinct, element method reaches a predetermined height or width. Then, the angle of repose is
(DEM), as depicted in Fig. 1, electrical capacitance tomography (ECT), measured by the inverse tangent (arctan) rule at which the average ra-
and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [32,33]. However, in the DEM, dius of the formed conical shape and the maximum height of the
rather than obtaining the angle of repose, this angle is used to calibrate heaped material are measured, and then the angle of repose is deter-
the numerical models, as shown later in this review. These methods are mined as the arctan of the maximum height to average radius ratio.
especially useful for measurement of the dynamic angle of repose, This test is the most frequently used for different sizes and combina-
tions of funneling methods (e.g., internal flow funnel and external
flow funnel or a combination of both). Depending on the funneling
Table 2
Typical values of angle of repose [30].
method, two types of the angles of repose can be obtained: the external
(or poured) angle of repose and the internal (or drained) angle of re-
Material (condition) Angle of repose pose [36]. Cho, Dodds and Santamarina [37] noticed that the internal
Ashes 40° angle of repose is significantly greater than the external one, as shown
Asphalt (crushed) 30–45° in Fig. 3. This difference is due to the cross-section of the material that
Bark (wood refuse) 45°
is gradually reducing in the case of the internal funnel as the sliding par-
Chalk 45°
Clay (dry lump) 25–40° ticles consolidate, increasing the coordination number (the inter-
Clover seed 28° particle contacts) [37].
Coconut (shredded) 45° Using the fixed funnel method, Nelson [38] measured the angle of
Coffee bean (fresh) 35–45° repose of sulfathiazole materials for a pharmacology application. In
Earth 30–45°
Flour (corn) 30–40°
this case, the angle of repose was found to be equal to the angle of inter-
Flour (wheat) 45° nal friction of the material only when the grains had a uniform shape
Granite 35–40° and size, and the uncertainty in the measurement was reported as
Gravel (crushed stone) 45° 1.0°. Miura, Maeda and Toki [39] introduced a funnel-type device to de-
Gravel (natural w/ sand) 25–30°
termine the angle of repose in which the pile of soil was formed on a cy-
Malt 30–45°
Sand (dry) 34° lindrical pedestal with a depression. They studied the relationship
Sand (water filled) 15–30° between the angle of repose and the angle of internal friction, examin-
Sand (wet) 45° ing different factors such as the roughness of the base, density of the
Snow 38° soil, mean grain size, grain shape, dilatancy and lifting speed of the
Wheat 27°
funnel. Their results indicate that the angle of repose tends to decrease
Fig. 2. Tilting box method [35].
with an increase in the amount of the material or the size of the conical Geldart et al. [41] studied the angle of repose of powders to investi-
heap and tends to increase with slower funnel lifting speeds during the gate their flowability properties. A modified funnel method was used to
experiment. Moreover, as the base roughness (friction) increases, the measure the angle of repose of a slightly cohesive powder; the results
angle of repose also increases, and it is nearly impossible to form a being consistent with the Hausner ratio method. Chukwu and Akande
heap on a frictionless base. Miura, Maeda and Toki [39] have also devel- [42] have developed a funnel method to obtain the angle of repose of
oped a reduction factor for the angle of repose as a correction for the different agricultural materials for agricultural purposes, such as the de-
pedestal size. However, Shorts and Feitosa [40] have shown that for sign and construction of bins, hoppers and silos. They indicated the im-
frictionless grains/bubbles, due to geometrical constraints, the angle of portance of both the static and dynamic angles of repose in the field of
repose may have a non-zero value (in their case, the average angle of agriculture. However, Chukwu and Akande [42] measured only the
repose was found to be 3.75°). static angle of repose. They used several base types with different
The angle of repose of powders, especially those used in steel casting roughnesses and various granular materials such as rice and seeds.
applications, can be obtained from the funnel method [10,13]. The They reported some differences between their values and the typical
amount (mass) of the powder is specified in the standard (approxi- values presented in the literature; these differences range from ±
mately 454 g), and the tested powder should be homogenous and rep- 0.96° to ±9.0°. The cost to fill the large box was the most significant lim-
resentative. The height between the base and funnel nozzle is fixed (at itation of the tests.
approximately 3.81 cm). The powder is then continuously poured from Nakashima et al. [43] conducted a comparative study between the
the funnel until the cone of the heap reaches the predetermined height; available data on the angle of repose data of the funnel method in the
thereafter, the diameter of the cone is measured. The experiment is re- literature and a 2D DEM simulation for granular soils. They also investi-
peated twice more. The average diameter is calculated from the three gated the effects of gravity, grain size, internal friction angle and rolling
records and rounded to the nearest 25.4 mm (1 in.). Thereafter, the friction coefficient, which is the tangent of the rolling friction angle.
angle of repose is calculated by the (arctan) rule and rounded to the Nakashima et al. [43] reported that the effects of gravity and grain size
nearest one-tenth of a degree. were negligible. However, they concluded that a DEM simulation
could be used to determine the angle of repose reasonably.
Szalay, Kelemen and Pintye-Hódi [44] proposed that the “cohesion”
coefficient is to be related to both frictional and cohesive forces to opti-
mize the funnel size (i.e., minimum/critical orifice diameter) for differ-
ent sorbitol in capsules and minitablets production process. Further,
they have noticed that as the cohesion coefficient increases, the angle
of repose linearly increases. As a result, it is suggested to use the angle
of repose in the determination of the critical orifice diameter to assure
free flowing of the particles.
2.1.3. Revolving cylinder/drum method

The revolving cylinder/drum method is used to determine the
dynamic angle of repose, which is usually at least 3 to 10° less than
the static angle of repose [45] and is often related to the segregation
phenomena of granular materials. Granular materials avalanche when
their static angle of repose is exceeded and stop at a dynamic angle of
repose [46]. In this method, the granular materials are placed in a
cylinder, which has a transparent side. Then, the cylinder is rotated at
a fixed speed and while rotating, the materials move and rotate within
Fig. 3. Comparison between internal and external angle of repose [37]. the cylinder to a maximum angle, which is considered the dynamic
angle of repose. According to Dury et al. [47], the dynamic angle of Lajeunesse, Mangeney-Castelnau and Vilotte [53] investigated the
repose at the end caps of the revolving cylinder is 5° greater than the dy- flow dynamics of granular materials by measuring the angle of repose
namic angle of repose elsewhere within the cylinder due to the bound- for slope stability applications. The authors used glass beads with two
ary friction effect. Yang, Zou and Yu [32] noticed a linear increase in the different sets of grain sizes. They qualitatively examined the effects of
dynamic angle of repose as the rotation speed of the cylinder increases. the bead grain size and base roughness on the angle of repose as well
As the rotation speed increases, the inclined flat surface of the material as the influence of the base rigidity and granular material mass.
tends to form an S-shaped surface [48], as shown in Fig. 4. Lajeunesse, Mangeney-Castelnau and Vilotte [53] used the hollow cylin-
Liu, Specht and Mellmann [49] measured the dynamic angle of re- der method with different sizes at a constant lifting velocity (approxi-
pose for glass beads with different particle and drum sizes and sug- mately 1.6 m/s). The test methodology was well controlled, and they
gested that the dynamic angle of repose is approximately equal to the used a fast camera (500 images/s) to record the experiments, as shown
average of the upper and lower dynamic angles of repose in a rotating in Fig. 5. They thoroughly discussed the experiment instrumentation, en-
drum [50]. The upper dynamic angle of repose is the angle at which ergy dissipation and deposit morphology. However, they reported that
the granular material at the drum bed starts to avalanche, while the the aspect ratio of the initial height of the granular material to the radius
lower angle is the angle at which the granular material rests when the of the cylinder has the most significant effect on the angle of repose.
avalanche stops. The upper and lower dynamic angles of repose were Liu [7] extended the above-mentioned work [53] and determined
assumed to be independent of each other; however, Liu, Specht and the angle of repose for civil engineering applications, mainly for slope
Mellmann [49] found a linear correlation between the upper and stability, by using the hollow cylinder method. He quantitatively inves-
lower dynamic angles of repose. They have compared this proposed lin- tigated the effects of the stratification, interface friction angle (which is
ear correlation with 14 types of materials (glass beads, fertilizer pellets, the friction angle between the base and the granular material), lifting
steel balls, steel cylinders, steel scraps, activated carbon, wood, grit, velocity, cylinder size, base roughness, granular material mass and
gravel, foam clay, fertilizer fragments, etc.) with particle sizes ranging height of the sand in the cylinder. Many correlations have been devel-
from 0.35 to 15 mm. The results of the measured and predicted dynamic oped by considering these factors. He also found that the angle of repose
angles of repose matched well. Therefore, only one angle (e.g., the upper and the internal friction angle were approximately equal. Liu [7] con-
dynamic angle of repose) must be obtained to calculate the lower dy- cluded that as the lifting velocity, material mass and material height in-
namic angle of repose and, subsequently, the dynamic angle of repose. crease, the angle of repose decreases. However, when the roughness of
Moreover, they noticed that the dynamic angle of repose increased the base increases, the angle of repose also increases. For sand-gravel
when the ratio of the particle size to drum size increased, while the ro- mixtures, the contribution of the sand to the angle of repose was mini-
tation speed and filling degree had marginal effects on the test results. mal compared to that of pure sand. Similar studies have utilized this
Nevertheless, it was noted that the filling degree and Froude number method to determine the static angle of repose [54–58].
is do affect the dynamic angle of repose as well as the peak velocity of
the particles in a rotating drum [51]. 2.1.5. Tilting cylinder method
Another method has been proposed to measure the angle of repose of
granular soils [6]. In the tilting cylinder method, the soil is poured verti-
2.1.4. Hollow cylinder method cally into a water-filled graduated cylinder, and then the cylinder is tilted
The hollow cylinder method is employed to determine the static N60° slightly and slowly restored to its vertical position. Then, the angle
angle of repose of a cohesionless material. The test material is placed of repose is considered the slope angle of the residual soil within the
into a hollow cylinder of a certain diameter and height atop a selected cylinder. Using this method; a linear correlation between the roundness
base with known roughness properties. The cylinder is then carefully of the particles and the angle of repose has been proposed, as shown in
pulled off of the base, like in a concrete slump test, at a particular veloc- Fig. 6. However, different definitions and methods have been used to de-
ity to allow the material to flow and form a conical shape [52]. The angle termine the roundness of the particles, as will be discussed later, and the
of repose is then measured by the (arctan) rule. type of correlation should be utilized with extreme caution.
Fig. 4. (a) Static angle of repose (b) S-shaped surface in dynamic angle of repose measurement [48].
while the investigations are still ongoing [Associated Press (2018,

January 22). Silo collapse sends about 10,000 tons of corn onto road.
The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.
com]. However, the angle of repose might be found to have a significant
role in the study.
The revolving drum method is used when the dynamic angle of re-
pose is of concern to investigate, for example, the segregation and dust-
iness of the particles to optimize the manufacturing of bulk materials.
The hollow or bottomless cylinder method is primarily used to study
the effect of reducing or removing the confinement pressure on a
slope or a pile of granular materials under disturbance or dynamic load-
ing. While the tilting cylinder method; can be used to study the forma-
tion of sediment dunes, for instance, on the seabed or in oceanic
trenches.
2.2. State-of-the-art methods

Fig. 5. Controlled hollow cylinder test [53].
As noted above, even within the same method of measurement, con-
siderable variation and issues may occur regarding the repeatability
2.1.6. Comparison (i.e., the error between two measurements performed by one operator
Rousé [50] compared six methods for measuring the angle of repose under the same conditions) and reproducibility (i.e., the error between
of six types of granular soil. She indicated that the highest value of the two measurements performed by different operators in different
angle of repose was obtained from the ASTM International method [7]. laboratories under the same conditions). For this purpose, an
The differences between the six methods led to a difference in the factor interlaboratory experimental study was conducted to measure the
of safety of approximately 82% for slope stability applications with con- angle of repose according to the ASTM standard method [7]. Five differ-
siderable differences in the soils that require excavation. Therefore, ent laboratories participated in this study; each of the laboratories
drawing a conclusion or conducting a comparison between the different employed two operators to measure the angle of repose of a mold
methods of measurement may be challenging because each measure- powder, and each operator repeated the measurement three times. As
ment method is targeted for a specific application. For instance, it may a result, the maximum repeatability of the 95% confidence interval
be inappropriate to design a silo with the angle of repose obtained was within 1.4°, while the maximum reproducibility of the 95%
from the rotating drum method. The tilting box method is used based confidence interval was 2.4°. Such a vast difference between the
on the assumption that the angle of repose and friction angle are measurements, among other reasons, led to the withdrawal of the
equal, which is not always accurate [21]. The funnel method is widely ASTM method. Therefore, a global, state-of-the-art standardized
used in silo design, pharmacology, and bulk material handling. How- method is needed.
ever, the funnel method may be recommended in the cases where the Furthermore, the angle of repose of two piles of granular material
granular particles are jammed or undergo jamming transition. Jamming can be compared only if the piles have even, regular slopes, which are
is a new phase transition that was formerly known as glass transition not exhibited for cohesive material or extremely angular particles. All
[59]; the particles jam if either the density is increased or the tempera- the previously discussed methods of measurement assume that the
ture is lowered, which can considerably slow the dynamics of the granular material piles form perfect conical shapes, unlikely the case
particles until the material becomes rigid, similar to the bottleneck phe- for the majority of other materials. Fraczek, Złobecki and Zemanek
nomenon in a traffic jam. In silos, jamming occurs due to the arch forma- [62] measured the angle of repose for different agricultural materials
tion of the particles at or near the outlet of the silo; hence, a critical/ under various moisture contents using the fixed funnel method. They
minimum outlet size should be selected to prevent or reduce jamming proved that most of the tested materials exhibited deviations from the
[60]. Alternatively, jamming can be reduced by vibrating the silo to pre- assumed conical shape with either truncation of the upper part of the
vent the outlet from clogging [61]. It has recently been reported in the pile, convexity of the slope, or concavity of the slope. The authors used
news that a collapse of a corn silo of 10,000 tons in Ohio, USA, affected digital image analysis techniques to analyze and obtain the coordinates
the power lines and poles and shut down the Ohio road for days, of a surface profile of the pile slope, and a similar method was reported
by Rackl and Hanley [63]. Subsequently, the surface profile was plotted
and linearly approximated by using the least squares method, which
can reduce the errors in the traditional direct measurements and in-
crease the accuracy in the angle of repose values. In addition, they calcu-
lated the required statistical repetitions of the measurements for both
the traditional and image-based methods and found out that the maxi-
mum number of repetitions needed for the image-based method is ap-
proximately 50% less than the maximum number of repetitions
required for the conventional method (direct measurement by ruler
and protractor or by using the height and diameter in the arctan
method). Additionally, Rackl et al. [31] presented similar observations
for the heap deviations from the ideal conical shape. They conducted
108 runs to measure the angle of repose of 8 different granular materials
using an automated hollow cylinder instrument with various sizes and
lifting velocities. The granular materials were heaped onto a rotating
plate, and the piles were scanned using 3D scanners. Rackl et al. [31]
found that the cohesion, segregation of the particles due to the broad
grain size distribution, and non-sphericity of the particles contribute
Fig. 6. Effect of roundness on the angle of repose [19]. to the deviations from the ideal conical shape. They recommended
that for consistent measurement of the angle of repose for the required 3.1.3. Geotechnical engineering
sample volume, the ratio of the heap diameter to the particle size should The geotechnical applications of the angle of repose are nearly end-
exceed 40 instead of 20, which was stated in the European Federation of less. In this field, the utilization of the angle of repose and the determi-
Materials Handling (FEM) standard [64]. However, research and devel- nation of its relation to other engineering properties are still being
opment to enhance the precision and reliability of the angle of repose studied. The appeal of the angle of repose is shown in slope stability
measurements are ongoing [65–67]. problems whereby the slope of the soil or granular geomaterial be-
comes unstable when its slope angle exceeds the angle of repose, as
3. Applications of the angle of repose shown in Fig. 9. In contrast, when a slope experiences toe-cutting or
slope modification to an angle that exceeds the angle of repose, flow de-
The angle of repose has been utilized in many applications including posits will slide downslope to recover a stable slope angle, i.e., the angle
the transportation and storage of goods, aeolian formations, slope of repose, as shown in Fig. 10. For example, the phenomena of rockfall
stability, avalanches, barchan dune formation, concrete slump testing, and mass wasting, as shown in Fig. 11, occur to recover a stable slope
bulk cargo, mass wasting, oceanic trench, retaining walls, sand volcanos, angle. In addition, the angle of repose can be utilized in the design of
scree, rotary kiln, mountaineering, simulation model calibration, barriers or rockfall collectors. Moreover, in certain cases such as
pharmacology, physics, geology, agricultural engineering, mining backfilling, if the slope angle of the soil exceeds the angle of repose, a
engineering, and geotechnical engineering. The angle of repose belongs retaining structure will be required to maintain the slope stability.
to a relatively contemporary field of study, and further investigation is Therefore, the angle of repose of the soil can simply be used to justify
needed to broaden the limited information available in this field. whether a retaining wall or structure is needed, as shown in Fig. 12.
Metcalf [21] investigated the relationship between the internal fric-
tion angle and the angle of repose of crushed rocks on the basis of phys-
3.1. Major applications ical experiments. He concluded that the angle of repose, in general, is
not equal to the angle of internal friction of the heaped material but is
3.1.1. Agricultural engineering the angle of internal friction for the same material under its loosest
The angle of repose is widely used in the field of agriculture in the condition. Evesque and Rajchenbach [70] investigated the factors that
design and dimensioning of silos, tanks, hoppers and bunkers to deter- affect the slope stability of a heap of granular materials subjected to a
mine the capacity and required volume of the stored and transported low-frequency vertical vibration and a sufficiently large amplitude.
seeds, wheat, rice, flour, etc. In the literature, several studies have pro- They concluded that the stability of the slope is governed by the angle
vided a range of angles of repose for different agricultural materials. of repose, amplitude of the vibration, convective transport within the
For instance, Zaalouk and Zabady [68] have investigated the effects of material itself and acceleration of the vibrations. Lee and Herrmann
wheat moisture content and base roughness on the angle of repose for [71] studied the angle of repose of a finite slope of granular materials
agricultural purposes. The authors developed linear correlations be- using a 2D molecular dynamics simulation. However, they defined the
tween the angle of repose and moisture content for each set of samples, angle of marginal stability, which is the maximum stable angle of a
as shown in Fig. 7, considering the effects of the base roughness. They heap but it is not necessarily the angle of repose, as they declared. Static
reported correlation coefficients ranging from 0.77 to 0.99. friction has been studied much less than the other microscopic
phenomena, mainly due to the difficulty of generating a theoretical for-
3.1.2. Entomology mulation or simulation models for the static friction. Lee and Herrmann
Botz et al. [69] have studied sand pits constructed by antlions, as [71] found that the angle of marginal stability is larger than the angle of
shown in Fig. 8. They measured the angle of repose of sand samples repose and developed a theoretical expression for the angle of marginal
using the revolving cylinder method and measured the angle of repose stability by assuming a particular stress distribution. They considered
of the antlion pits with laser technology. They also performed compre- spherical, homogeneous sand particles in their model and incorporated
hensive physical, observational, chemical and statistical analyses. The favorable physical properties and assumptions. Of the studied parame-
antlions pits were built at inclination angles that were not significantly ters, the angle of repose was markedly affected by only the angle
different from the angle of repose. The stability of the antlions walking of internal friction between the particles. Additionally, they comprehen-
on the slope was also discussed. It was noted that larger antlions were sively discussed their models and theoretical assumptions; although
more likely to roll down the slope. they calculated and measured both the angle of repose and angle of
marginal stability, they considered their work a qualitative study due
to these assumptions and limitations. However, for large-scale granular
materials, the final slope was found to rest at an angle lower than the
angle of repose [72].
Chik and Vallejo [73] measured the angle of repose for coarse and
fine sand mixtures on rough and smooth bases. The authors developed
theoretical relationships between the angle of repose, the internal fric-
tion angle of the mixture and the angle of interface friction. Ghazavi,
Hosseini and Mollanouri [74] introduced a modified funnel method to
measure the angle of repose of sand. Three types of sand samples
were tested in their angle of repose experiments and angle of internal
friction simple shear box tests, at the same compaction densities. For
each sand, a linear correlation was generated between the angle of re-
pose and the internal friction angle with a high correlation coefficient
of 0.96. However, the correlations between the angles of repose and in-
ternal friction angles are valid under very restricted conditions, as
highlighted earlier.
3.1.4. Hydrodynamics and sedimentology

The flow and heaping of sediments on the beds of streams, rivers and
Fig. 7. Effect of moisture content on the angle of repose of different wheat types [68]. dams, as well as in oceanic trench slopes, are closely related to the angle
Fig. 8. Angle of repose of an antlions pit (www.bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au).
of repose of the sediment material, such as sand, silt and clay. The angle Riley and Mann [82] investigated the angle of repose and the
of repose of sediments was theoretically [75,76] and experimentally Hausner ratio for different glass particle shapes, similar to the work of
[77] examined. Yang et al. [78] investigated the angle of repose of Lajeunesse, Mangeney-Castelnau and Vilotte [53]. Both spherical and
non-uniform sediments to study bed slopes and sediment transporta- non-spherical glass particles, in addition to a mixture of particle shapes,
tion. The angle of repose of the sediments was tested by using air and were tested. The relationship between the angle of repose and the
water in a method similar to the revolving cylinder method. The effects Hausner ratio is unpredictable. Riley and Mann [82] recommended
of the rotation velocity, filling degree and weight ratio of the sediments using the Hausner ratio as a general index for the frictional properties
on the angle of repose were investigated. An empirical equation was due to its simple measurement approach.
generated to predict the angle of repose; this equation was tested for Zhou et al. [83] studied the angle of repose of coarse spherical glass
a broad range of laboratory data on the angle of repose and found to bead particles numerically by using the modified DEM and experimen-
be reasonably acceptable. A thorough study of the formation of dunes tally using the internal funnel method. From their model, they devel-
underwater has recently been reported by Kwoll et al. [79]. oped an empirical formula for the angle of repose for engineering
applications and validated it with the results of their experiments.
3.1.5. Particle technology and materials science They declared that the angle of repose is affected by the rolling friction
The flowability of granular material is usually linked to the angle of of the particles, container thickness and particle size, while it is not af-
repose, as discussed earlier. The concrete slump test can directly deter- fected by damping, Poisson's ratio, Young's modulus or the restitution
mine the angle of repose in a way similar to the hollow cylinder method. coefficient. They also generated a predictive formula for the initial
Material segregation studies, especially for steel and aggregate mills and angle of repose from the particle size and then employed this formula
cement kilns [80], is another method to directly determine the dynamic in a correction equation to obtain the angle of repose with a maximum
angle of repose in a way similar to the revolving cylinder method. In a error of estimation of 3.0°. However, when the angle of repose is small, a
recent study using glass and polypropylene beads [81], it was proven large relative error is expected. The predictive formula is applicable for
that the segregation index is decreasing when the dynamic angle of re- the material conditions tested by Zhou et al. [83] to determine the
pose increases. angle of repose, as shown in Eq. (1). The static angle of repose is
Fig. 9. Role of the angle of repose in slope stability (www.personal.kent.edu).

Fig. 10. Recovered stable slope (www.tulane.edu).
positively correlated with the sliding and rolling friction coefficients of 3.2. Other applications
particle-particle and particle-wall cases, while, it is negatively corre-
lated with the particle size, as reported elsewhere throughout the liter- The above review indicates that the angle of repose could be utilized
ature. However, it is to be noted that their equation is valid for the in different applications and for various purposes. The angle of repose
provided range of the parameters, measurement method and the tested can also be used by mountaineers to determine the slopes that are
material, and further enhancements of the fitting parameters in the safe for their activities. In geology, the angle of repose is used to illus-
equations are required to cover a broader range of particle sizes and trate and predict the steepest slope of barchan dunes, which are
types. crescent-shaped sand dunes [85], as shown in Fig. 16. Sand boils, or
Angle of repose estimation from DEM simulation [83]: sand volcanoes, are conically shaped and form when sand is ejected
onto the surface from a weak central point; these features are sloped
by the angle of repose of the sand. Further, sand volcanoes are related
−0:2
AOR ¼ 68:61 μ 0:27 S;PP μ 0:22 S;PW μ 0:06 R;PP μ 0:12 R;PW d … ð1Þ to the soil liquefaction phenomenon that occurs during earthquakes
[86]. In the transportation and storage of goods such as coffee bins, co-
conuts, seeds, and tires, the angle of repose is used in the design of con-
where: AOR = angle of repose, degrees; μS, PP = sliding or static tainers and tanks to determine their necessary capacity and height [68].
friction coefficient (particle-particle), 0–0.6; μS, PW = sliding or static In pharmacology, the angle of repose is used to indicate the
friction coefficient (particle-wall), 0–0.6; μR, PP = rolling friction coeffi- flowability of granular powders used in drug production and coating
cient (particle-particle), 0–0.1 mm; μR, PW = rolling friction coefficient [87,88]. Train [89] measured the angle of repose using different
(particle-wall), 0–0.2 mm; and d = particle diameter, 2–10 mm. methods (tilting box, fixed and lifted funnel and revolving cylinder
Li et al. [84] studied the static angle of repose of iron ore particles ex- methods) for different powders, including silver sand. From his mea-
perimentally (using a funnel method), and numerically through DEM surements, the angle of repose of the silver sand ranged from 31° to
simulation. They have provided highly positive linear relationships be- 34°, as shown in Fig. 17. He suggested that if any method is used to de-
tween the angle of repose and sliding and rolling friction coefficients, termine the angle of repose, the practical conditions should be rigidly
and a profoundly negative linear relationship with the mean particle defined to obtain comparable data.
size. The angle of repose is used not only for terrestrial applications but
also extraterrestrial applications. Granular materials avalanche when
their slope exceeds the static angle of repose and stop at the dynamic
angle of repose; these phenomena were assumed to occur indepen-
dently of gravity. However, Kleinhans et al. [46] investigated the effects
of reduced gravity on the dynamic and static angles of repose to demon-
strate the avalanche behavior of granular material on Mars and
asteroids. They used revolving cylindrical instruments housed in an ac-
curately controlled airplane and conducted 33 parabolic flights under
effective gravities of 1.0, 0.38 (Mars) and 0.1 times the terrestrial grav-
ity, as shown in Fig. 18. Different particle sizes and shapes have been
studied in either water or air, which were used as lubricant fluids. In
general, the static angle of repose increased by 5° with the reduced
gravity, while the dynamic angle of repose decreased by 10°;
consequently, the avalanche size increased. Therefore, the authors sug-
gested that, on Mars, the granular materials at relatively low slopes
Fig. 11. Illustration of mass wasting and rockfall due to exceeding the angle of repose might have formed in dry conditions without lubricating fluids.
(www.tulane.edu). Kleinhans et al. [46] proved that the angle of repose is a gravity-
Fig. 12. Retaining wall justification by using the angle of repose (www.patio-supply.com).
dependent parameter, but further research, considering all other possi- Wangchai, Hastie and Wypych [94] used a DEM to simulate a revolv-
ble factors, is recommended. ing cylinder dustiness test to monitor and quantify dust generation in
Remote sensing technology and geographical information system mining activities to minimize dust generation and its impact on the en-
(GIS) analyses have allowed scientists to measure the dynamic angle vironment. The authors used a non-dusty material, namely polyethyl-
of repose of real Martian sand dunes and compare the results with ene pellets, to calibrate the DEM before being used to simulate dusty
those of terrestrial sand dunes [90]. It has been found that both the materials. They determined the restitution coefficient, which is the
Martian and terrestrial sand dunes have similar dynamic angles of ratio of the rebound height to the initial height of the particle before
repose, implying that this angle is independent of gravity; however, the impact, as well as the particle density, particle size and shape,
this result diverges from the results of the experiments of Kleinhans angle of repose, and friction coefficients between the particles and cyl-
et al. [46]. inder walls. The static and rolling friction coefficients of the particles es-
In mining activities, such as mineral piling or mining drilling, the timated from the model were approximately the same as the measured
angle of repose is considered an essential factor in the design of the col- properties. Wangchai, Hastie and Wypych [94] also modeled different
lection area and drilling slopes. Hancock et al. [91] monitored and sim- particle shapes using single and multiple spheres, as shown in Fig. 13.
ulated the rills that form slopes at the angle of repose. They used laser The effects of the various particle shapes on the static and rolling friction
technology and the SIBERIA erosion model to simulate rill formation coefficients were determined from a sensitivity analysis of the angle of
in mining sites and agricultural fields whereby a single rainfall or runoff repose, conducted by using the DEM simulation, as shown in Fig. 14.
event can create new rills that affect those sites. The SIBERIA erosion The heap or pile of different particle shapes was simulated in the
model was able to determine the behavior of rills in both time and DEM. When the rolling friction coefficient of the particle was 0.2 and
space from adequate input parameters, one of which is the angle of the static friction coefficient of the particle was 0.1, the simulated results
repose. matched closely with the experimental results, as shown in Fig. 15. The
authors concluded that DEM could be utilized to obtain accurate results
3.3. Calibration of numerical models and simulations for granular materials. Finally, they suggested coupling the DEM with
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to model the air flow around the
Granular material is a discrete material and, unlike continuous mate- particles. However, many published studies suggest the usage of a re-
rial, is more complex to simulate. To obtain realistic results from numer- verse calibration method by physically measuring the bulk properties
ical simulations of natural and real materials, the input parameters and (e.g., the angle of repose) and then adjusting the DEM simulation prop-
particle properties must be accurate. The challenges in numerical simu- erties to match the measured properties [95–103].
lation arise due to the difficulty in experimentally determining the par- Brezzi et al. [104] used the hollow cylinder method to calibrate a ma-
ticle properties, such as rolling friction, restitution coefficient, inter- terial point method (MPM) simulation. MPM is a meshless numerical
particle friction, particle shape and size, particle density, dilation angle simulation method used to obtain results that are independent of the
and particle stiffness. Therefore, the use of a calibration method has mesh size, shape or condition. The authors aimed to determine the rhe-
been proposed to calibrate and ensure the simulation results [92]. Two ological parameters of a Bingham model by run-out simulation. A mix-
types of calibration are used. In direct calibration, the simulation is cal- ture of water, sand and kaolin was used in the physical experiment, and
ibrated by experimentally measuring the particle properties and then the height and diameter of the mixture in the hollow cylinder were re-
using them as the simulation inputs. In indirect calibration or reverse corded using a high-speed camera while lifting the cylinder to correlate
calibration, a bulk property is measured, such as the distribution of par- the height and diameter with the run period. Brezzi et al. [104] noticed
ticle size, bulk (packing) density and angle of repose [93], and then a set that when the kaolin content in the mixture increased, the height of the
of simulation parameters is changed until the measured bulk properties pile increased, while the diameter decreased (i.e., the angle of repose in-
are matched. A calibration method is used to simulate and optimize the creased). Moreover, a number of other studies that utilized the angle of
handling process of bulk solids. repose, especially in a DEM, have been reported [92]. The ability of DEM
Fig. 13. Particle shape simulation in a DEM [94].
simulations to predict the contact and inter-particle parameters has influence the angle of repose. Accordingly, knowledge of these factors
been proven, especially when the exact shape of the particles are is important and; hence, a review of the most influential factors is
simulated using other methods such as multiple spheres; in this case, presented below.
DEM simulations can be used instead of the complicated physical mea-
surements [105,106]. A comparative study between the DEM and MPM 4.1. Geometrical properties of the particles
was recently conducted by Kumar et al. [107], who have demonstrated
the ability of the MPM to simulate the granular flow dynamics with a As discussed earlier, the particle shape and size significantly affect
single input parameter: the internal friction angle. The authors reported the angle of repose values. For instance, the effect of roundness of soil
good agreement between the DEM and MPM methods. particles on the angle of repose is shown in Fig. 6. Additionally, shape
descriptors are scale-dependent factors [6]. Further, the scales at
4. Influential factors which the particle shape is described are as follows: the global form,
the scale of the surface roughness and the scale of the major surface fea-
Some of the particle and inter-particle properties of granular mate- tures [19]. At these scales, the following factors and properties are
rials can be calibrated using the numerical simulations with the angle known as shape descriptors: particle roundness, sphericity, roughness,
of repose of the bulk material; therefore, such properties (i.e., factors) size, aspect ratio, slenderness, solidity, Ferret diameter, irregularity,
Fig. 14. Effect of rolling and static friction coefficients on the angle of repose (a) Single sphere particles and (b) Double spheres particles [94].
Fig. 15. Comparison between slump tests and DEM simulations [94]. Fig. 17. Angle of repose range of silver sand [89].
elongation, fractal dimension, etc. According to Ulusoy, Yekeler and Roundness 2 [6]:
Hiçyılmaz [108], no shape descriptors are universally accepted or stan-
dardized; nonetheless, the effects of the shape descriptor are described 2 dC
R2 ¼ … ð2Þ
below. DL
Roundness 3 [6]:
4.1.1. Particle roundness
There are different definitions available in the literature for 2D and dC
R3 ¼ … ð3Þ
3D particle roundness. Relations between the roundness and the angle Dav
of repose, or any other factor, should be considered in the context of
the “defined” roundness and the method used to determine the angle Cox roundness or circularity [112]:
of repose. The roundness is highly dependent upon the sharpness of
the particles and is usually related to their angularity. The most com- 4π APR
RCox ¼ … ð4Þ
monly used definition of the roundness of a particle was proposed by ðP Þ2
Wadell [109], who defined it as the ratio of the average curvature radius
of the particle edges and corners to the radius of the maximum where: R2 & R3 = roundness types 2 and 3, respectively, as defined by
inscribed sphere. From this definition, Krumbein and Sloss [110] devel- Mitchell and Soga [6]; dC = curvature radius of the maximum convex
oped the so-called roundness and sphericity chart for visually determin- part of the particle; DL = longest diameter through the most convex
ing roundness, as shown in Fig. 19. With the Wadell roundness [109], part of the particle; Dav = mean radius; Rcox = roundness or circularity
Powers [111] provided a shape classification based on the roundness, [112]; APR = particle projected area; and P = overall projection
as shown in Table 3. Mitchell and Soga [6] reported two other defini- perimeter.
tions of roundness, as presented below in Eq. (2) and Eq. (3). Li et al. A visual determination of the roundness of granular material, such
[112] discussed the Cox roundness, also known as circularity, and de- as soil, is not always applicable; instead, different techniques are
fined it from the projected area and projection perimeter of the particle,
as shown in Eq. (4).
Fig. 18. Revolving cylinders housed in an airplane to measure the angle of repose under
Fig. 16. Angle of repose of barchan dunes (Wiki). low gravity [46].
corresponding particle size at which XX% of the particles are smaller.

An increase in CU led to a decrease in both maximum and minimum
void ratios [113]. Additionally, they noticed a negative linear relation-
ship between the angle of repose and the Wadell roundness [109], as
shown in Fig. 6. They recommended that a determination of the shape
descriptors be conducted for each soil characterization.
Roundness effects on minimum and maximum void ratios for sand
at CU = 1.0 [113]:
0:154 0:082
emax ¼ 0:554 þ ; emin ¼ 0:359 þ … ð5Þ
R R
where: emax, emin = maximum and minimum void ratios, respectively;

and R = Wadell roundness [109].
Cheshomi, Fakher and Jones [115] studied the peak friction angle of
sand in coarse alluvial deposits; this angle being often determined by
the so-called shear box test and the particle roundness and sphericity.
The peak friction angle increased when the roundness decreased or
Fig. 19. Roundness-sphericity chart [110].
the sphericity increased, as shown in Eq. (6). The authors used this
equation to obtain a correlation coefficient of 0.86 from their results.
Relationship between peak friction angle, roundness and sphericity
often used, such as fractal analysis, Fourier methods and image analysis
[115]:
and processing [6]. Santamarina and Cho [19] studied the effect of
particle shape of coarse- and fine-grained soils on their fabric and 10:6 S
macroproperties, such as fabric anisotropy, density, void ratio, ∅P ¼ 19:9 þ … ð6Þ
R
oedometric stiffness, strength, critical state friction angle, drained and
undrained shear strength, and liquefaction. They used the Wadell where: ∅P = Peak friction angle determined from shear box test, de-
criteria [109] to define the particle roundness. They noted that when grees; R = Wadell roundness [109]; and S = Wadell volume-based
the uniformity coefficient of the sand (CU) = 1.0 and the roundness or sphericity [109].
sphericity of the sand increased, the minimum and maximum void ra- Zheng and Hryciw [116] proposed a numerical computational
tios decreased, as reported in Eq. (5) by Youd [113]. The uniformity geometry method that uses images to determine the soil roundness,
coefficient (CU) is a measure of gradation for the grain size distribution roughness and sphericity. They computed the mean surface by
[114] and determined as the ratio of (D60/D10); where DXX is the conducting a locally-weighted regression analysis validated by K-fold
Fig. 20. Comparison between methods (Krumbein and Sloss 1963; Zheng and Hryciw 2015) [116].
Fig. 21. Definitions (a) Roundness (b) Sphericity [117].
cross-validation. The roundness is then determined from the mean sur- with the visual estimation chart method [110] that was used by 38 un-
face of the particle based on the Wadell definition [109]. They compared dergraduate civil engineering students with 3D images of 20 different
the results of their numerical computational geometry method with soil samples. However, the students, on average, underestimated the
those of the manual Wadell method, the Wadell roundness [109], and values of the roundness and sphericity. Hryciw, Zheng and Shetler
sphericity, which is defined as a ratio of a diameter of an equivalent- [117] suggested that the main reason for the differences is that in the vi-
projected-area circle to a minimum circumscribing circle diameter. Fur- sual estimation, the attention of the students was drawn to the most un-
thermore, their method is compared with the Krumbein and Sloss chart usual (angular and non-spherical) particles, which can lead to faulty
[110] shown in Fig. 20; this chart provides the Wadell roundness [109] results that do not reflect the abundance or scarcity of those particles
and sphericity that is defined as a ratio of the particle width to length. in the image. Furthermore, Zheng and Hryciw [118] concluded that for
Good agreement between these two methods suggests that to obtain re- crushed sand, the mean value of roundness is smaller than that of allu-
liable results, the images used in the image analysis should have a reso- vial or glacio-fluvial sand values. Furthermore, Zheng and Hryciw [119]
lution of at least 200 pixels per circumscribing circle diameter, and the have recently suggested using stereography and image analysis to en-
maximum departure of linear segment approximation should be hance the precision of the shape and size estimation by considering
b0.03% of the circumscribing circle diameter. Moreover, Hryciw, Zheng the three primary dimensions of soil and gravel particles. They com-
and Shetler [117] have statistically analyzed and compared their compared their results with manual caliper and sieve measurements, as
putational results of roundness and sphericity, as defined in Fig. 21, shown in Fig. 22, and excellent agreement between these two methods
Fig. 22. Comparison between stereography and sieving dimensions [119]. Fig. 23. Viscous friction caused by roughness to a rolling particle [127].
Table 3
Wadell's roundness classification [111].
Description Roundness
Very angular b0.17

Angular 0.17–0.25
Sub-angular 0.25–0.35
Sub-rounded 0.35–0.49
Rounded 0.49–0.70
Well-rounded N0.70
of sphericity was proposed by Wadell [109], who defined sphericity as

the ratio of the diameter of an equivalent volume sphere to the diameter
of the circumscribing sphere, as shown in Fig. 19. Riley and Mann [82]
noticed that for glass particles, the angle of repose increased with the
variation in the spherical shape; however, for extreme shape variations,
like flakes, the relationship was not predictable. Barrios et al. [121] sim-
Fig. 24. Sliding of an object on an inclined plane [134].
ulated the angle of repose of iron pellets in a DEM using spherical and
clump shapes. The predicted angle of repose of the spherical particles
was higher than the measured angle, while the predicted angle of
was observed. Zheng and Hryciw [119] have also determined the 3D repose of the clump particles matched closely with the experimental
profile of sand and glass particles using X-ray computed tomographic results. Additionally, the angles of repose were in good agreement
imaging, as well as 2D profile imaging, concluding that even the 2D when only the static friction coefficient of the spherical particles was re-
shape descriptors can be used to reasonably estimate the soil properties. duced. Höhner, Wirtz and Scherer [122] simulated a rotating drum in a
Similarly, in chemical engineering applications, the defined circular- DEM to predict the dynamic angle of repose of spherical and non-
ity or roundness does affect the particles flowability and granular mate- spherical particles. However, they noticed that the dynamic angle of re-
rial properties [33,120]. The aspect ratio and roundness are found to be pose was greater for the non-spherical particles. The same result has
the best shape descriptors in this field [33]. For fine powders that vary in been achieved in other studies [51]. Using both roundness and spheric-
shapes, it is suggested to obtain the probability distribution (normal dis- ity, Zheng and Hryciw [123] provided a clump library that contains
tribution usually) of roundness instead of a single value [33]. Fine N100,000 clumps for modelling the real shape of soil particles in DEM
powders, such as Aspartame, exhibit a non-linear decrease in the static simulations, similar to the work conducted by Zhou, Wang and Wang
angle of repose as the roundness increases [33]. However, for powders [124]. Additionally, Dai et al. [125] have shown that the angle of repose
that include irregular roundness profiles, such a conclusion might not decreases when the circularity and/or aspect ratio increase, and when
be achieved due to the effects of cohesion and interlocking forces [33]. the sphericity increases [126].
From the above review, it could be concluded that as the roundness
increases, the angle of repose decreases [19,115], as shown in Fig. 6. The 4.1.3. Roughness
decrease in the roundness or increase in the angularity of the particles Both the roughness of particles and the sliding surface affect the
will increase the particle contact and interlocking, thereby increasing angle of repose and friction coefficients of the particles. The roughness
the angle of repose. of a particle describes the texture relative to its radius, on a scale that
is much smaller than the diameter of the particle [19]. The direct mea-
4.1.2. Sphericity of particles surement of roughness is strenuous; therefore, it is usually measured
Like roundness, sphericity is used as a shape descriptor, as men- relative to the length of the inter-particle contact area. For a rolling par-
tioned earlier. As with roundness, sphericity has various definitions ticle on a sliding surface of the same or different material, the roughness
and is determined using various methods [116]. A common definition controls the viscous friction [127], as shown in Fig. 23. Senetakis, Coop
and Todisco [128] measured the roughness of sand quartz minerals
using white light interferometry and a Sympatec QicPic laser scanner,
and the average roughness was found to be 0.38 ± 0.19 μm. Similar
work was conducted by Yang and Baudet [129] using the power spec-
trum method. Miura, Maeda and Toki [39] noticed that when the rough-
ness of the base, which the sand was piled on, increased, the angle of
repose also increased; consequently, forming a heap on a frictionless
base is nearly impossible. Similarly, Zaalouk and Zabady [68] proved
that for different types of wheat, the angle of repose increases with
the roughness of the base. Liu [7] provided similar results for sand.
Additionally, Altuhafi, Coop and Georgiannou [130] noticed that the
normalized elastic shear modulus increased with the surface roughness
of natural sand and correlated the shape descriptors with the stiffness
and critical state parameters of the soil.
4.2. Particle size
As shown in Eq. (1), the angle of repose decreases when the spheri-
cal glass particle diameter increases [83]. Botz et al. [69] have shown
similar results for the sand in antlions pits: the angle of repose de-
creased when the particle size of the sand increased. Moreover, consid-
Fig. 25. Rolling friction of a particle (Wiki). ering the particle size distribution, as the mean particle size increases,
the angle of repose decreases [131]. Lumay et al. [132] demonstrated et al. [137] conducted DEM simulations for a rotary drum to measure
that when the particle sizes of rice, flours, and silicon carbide abrasives the dynamic angle of repose of rice grains and glass beads. They found
are lower than 50 μm, the cohesion between the particles tends to affect that the dynamic angle of repose is affected by the sliding friction
the angle of repose, i.e., as the cohesion increases, the angle of repose coefficient while only slightly affected by the damping or restitution
increases. However, for particle sizes N50 μm, the particle shape, coefficient. In general, the angle of repose increases with an increase
especially the elongation, will predominate the macrobehavior of the in the sliding friction coefficient [54,138,139].
particles. For non-uniform sediments, Yang et al. [78] noticed that
when the mean sediment size increases, the angle of repose increases 4.3.2. Rolling friction coefficient
slightly. Moreover, it was noted that as the mean size of the material Rolling friction (i.e., resistance or drag) is defined as the force that
decreases, the difference between the dynamic and static angles of resists movement of a particle rolling on a surface [140], as shown in
repose increases [133]. Fig. 25. The rolling friction coefficient is much smaller than the sliding
friction coefficient [140] and can be expressed in Eq. (11) as a dimen-
4.3. Friction coefficients sionless coefficient or in Eq. (12) as a coefficient with a dimension of
length [141]. However, different models and equations are presented
Different types of friction coefficients influence the macro- and in the literature for specific conditions and applications [142,143].
micro-behavior of granular materials, namely the sliding friction coeffi- Fukumoto, Sakaguchi and Murakami [144] conducted DEM simulations
cient (both static and kinetic) and the rolling friction coefficient. to investigate the effects of the rolling coefficient on the behavior of
granular materials. The rolling friction coefficient was found to affect
4.3.1. Sliding (Coulomb) friction coefficients the rearrangement of the particles during packing, and the fabric anisot-
The sliding friction of an object is defined as the force that resists an ropy increased with the rolling friction coefficient. Furthermore, when
object as it slides or starts to slide along a surface; this force acts along the rolling friction coefficient increased, the coefficient of earth pressure
the contact points between the two surfaces in an opposite direction (a ratio between the horizontal to vertical stresses on earth structures)
to the possible motion [134]. This coefficient has two components at rest decreased. The rolling friction was also found to contribute to the
(i.e., the static and kinetic coefficients). There are many other defini- heterogeneity in the stress distribution between particles. The authors
tions, empirical laws and theories that are used to describe the sliding recommended studying different particle packing methods and their ef-
friction coefficients. The general form of the sliding coefficient, without fect on the rolling friction by using DEM simulations [144].
rolling, plastic deformation or external loads, can be described by the in- Rolling friction coefficient (dimensionless) [141]:
clined plane method, as shown in Fig. 24. The static friction force is pro-
portional to the normal force, as shown in Eq. (7), and is defined as the
F ¼ μ r W… ð11Þ
force that is required for an object to start sliding. When the object starts
moving along the sliding surface, the frictional force is called the kinetic
friction force, which is also proportional to the normal force, as shown in Rolling friction coefficient (length dimension) [141]:
Eq. (8). By solving the free body diagram of Fig. 24 at static conditions,
the static friction coefficient can be expressed by Eq. (9). Similarly, tak-
bW b
ing into consideration the kinetic conditions and uniform acceleration F¼ ; ¼ μr… ð12Þ
equations, the kinetic friction coefficient can be expressed by Eq. (10) r r
and is always smaller than the static friction coefficient [134].
Static friction coefficient [134]: where: F = rolling friction force; μr = rolling friction coefficient; W =
normal force, as shown in Fig. 25, and R is the reaction force; b = rolling
f s ≤ μ s N; N ¼ m g cos θ… ð7Þ friction coefficient with a dimension of length; and r = radius of the
particle or inter-particle contact length (coordination number).
Kinetic friction coefficient [134]: Briend, Radziszewski and Pasini [54] observed that the angle
of repose of soil increases when the rolling friction coefficient
f k ¼ μ k N… ð8Þ
increases and similar results have been reported in the literature
[57,83,135,136,138,145]. Markauskas and Kačianauskas [146] modeled
Solving for static friction coefficient: ellipsoidal rice grains in a DEM simulation that included the rolling fric-
tion. From this work, they proved that if the rolling friction is ignored or
sin θ
μs ¼ ¼ tan θ… ð9Þ set to zero, even with a sliding friction coefficient of 1.0, the model can-
cos θ
not correctly predict the angle of repose but it produces a lower angle of
Solving for kinetic friction coefficient: repose than measured. Moreover, as the rolling or sliding friction coeffi-
cients increase; the angle of repose increases, due to the associated in-
ðg sin θÞ−ax 2d crement of dissipation rate of kinetic energy [84].
μk ¼ ; ax ¼ … ð10Þ
g cos θ Δt 2
4.3.3. Angle of internal friction
where: fs = static friction force; μs = static friction coefficient; N = Several studies have shown that the angle of internal friction is ap-
normal force; m = mass of the object; g = gravity acceleration; θ = proximately equal to the angle of repose [7,39], but this conclusion is
inclination angle at which the object is sliding or starts to slide; fk = valid under very restricted conditions and assumptions, as shown
kinetic friction force; μk = kinetic friction coefficient; ax = uniform ac- earlier in Section 1.2 [21,126,147]. These restrictions are ascribed to
celeration of the object; d = sliding distance of the object; and Δt2 = the fact that the granular material has a uniform density and moisture
time for the object to slide along distance d. content and that the particles have a uniform size [38]. Coetzee [139]
From Eq. (9), one may conclude that the static friction coefficient is conducted a large shear box test and compared the results with the
equal to the tangent of the angle of repose, but this conclusion may be angle of repose results used to calibrate a DEM simulation; however,
true only under strict conditions and assumptions. Zhou et al. [83] re- he concluded that both the direct shear results and the angle of repose
ported a positive relationship between the angle of repose and the static results were different. Härtl and Ooi [148] found similar results and
sliding and rolling coefficients of coarse sphere glass beads, as shown in ascribed the difference between the angle of repose and the internal
Eq. (1), and similar results were achieved by others [135,136]. Santos friction angle to the confining effects of the rigid shear box.
4.4. Coefficient of restitution (damping) methods or scales [53,104,158]. When using the same method, different
combinations, scales, or conditions, such as the lifting speed in the hol-
The coefficient of restitution is a measure of the energy that is trans- low cylinder method or the rotating speed in the revolving drum
ferred between the particles and the surface of impact. Numerically, an method, will lead to different measurements of the angle of repose.
approximation of the restitution coefficient can be expressed in Eq. (13) For instance, when the lifting speed increases, the angle of repose de-
[149]; it is simply a a ratio of the rebound height of a particle to the creases [7,53,159]. In the rotating drum method, when the rotating
initial height. Zhou et al. [83] reported that the angle of repose is not af- speed is increased, the angle of repose increases [160]. Grima and
fected by Poisson's ratio, the elastic modulus or the restitution coeffi- Wypych [161] explained that the difference in the measurements be-
cient, and similar findings were cited elsewhere [150]. However, tween the methods is because the relative particle velocity is different
Santos et al. [137] reported minor effects of the restitution coefficient in each method. Li et al. [162] studied the effects of the container
on the angle of repose. shape and lifting velocity on the angle of repose of iron ore material
Approximation of restitution coefficient [149]: and found that the angle of repose decreases exponentially when the
lifting velocity is increased for all the container shapes tested. They de-
5 3
!2 veloped reliable prediction equations for estimating the angle of repose
2 2E 2 U 0 2 r1 2 U 0 2
e¼ þ … ð13Þ from the lifting velocity and mean particle size for each of the container
v0 m ð1−v2 Þ 15 3
shapes. Moreover, the angle of repose of the particles was found smaller
in the axial center of a rotating drum than that near the walls [163].
where: e = restitution coefficient; v0 = impact velocity; E = elastic
modulus; m = mass; v = Poisson's ratio; U0 = deformation; and r1 = 5. Conclusions
permanent deformation.
This literature review highlights the importance of the angle of re-
4.5. Number of particles pose in a wide range of applications and its ability to describe and assess
the macro- and micro-mechanical behavior of granular materials. The
In either a physical experiment or DEM simulation, the amount of angle of repose has many definitions and methods of measurement,
granular material or the number of particles has been found to affect and each of these methods should be used to mimic the granular mate-
the angle of repose. Miura, Maeda and Toki [39] found that the angle rial behavior of a particular application. Therefore, drawing a conclusion
of repose decreases with an increase in the amount of material, and sim- from or conducting a comparison between different methods of mea-
ilar results have been achieved by Liu [7]. Stahl and Konietzky [151] surement may be challenging because each measurement method is
proved, through DEM simulation, that the angle of repose decreases used to simulate a specific application.
slightly when the amount of granular material or number of particles in- The literature review indicates that the angle of repose has been
creased. This result was verified by physical experiments, and similar used in different fields, such as agriculture (for the design of silos and
findings have also been reported by Coetzee [139]. In addition, the het- hoppers), pharmacology (in drug production and flowability determi-
erogeneity and stratification of a mixture have been found, unsurpris- nation), geology (for the evaluation and monitoring of sand dunes and
ingly, to affect the angle of repose [7,104,126]. Chik, Zamri and Vallejo granular formations), bulk material handling, mining, civil engineering,
[73] reported that the angle of repose for a mixture with predominantly and numerical model calibration, as well as in other applications. An im-
coarse sand is greater than that for a mixture with predominantly fine portant use of the angle of repose, along with the bulk density and slid-
sand. On a smooth base, the angle of repose is minimized for both ing friction coefficient, is to calibrate DEM simulations, which allow the
coarse- and fine-grained sands, and the failure mode takes the form of estimation and determination of the inter-particle parameters that are
lateral spreading. difficult to measure experimentally.
Several factors have been found to affect the angle of repose, such as
4.6. Moisture content and air flow the static sliding friction coefficient, rolling friction coefficient, coeffi-
cient of restitution, particle size and shape, amount of the material
Zaalouk and Zabady [68] reported that the angle of repose generally used in the measurement, and method of measurement. The reported
increases with the moisture content of the granular material. However, data indicate that the angle of repose increases with the particle and im-
in a DEM simulation, coupling with a CFD may be required to account pacted surface roughness, sliding and rolling friction coefficients, mois-
for moisture content and fluid flow effects [152]. Derakhshani, Schott ture content, deviation from roundness, and increase in the revolving
and Lodewijks [153] conducted a CFD-DEM simulation and concluded drum speed. In contrast, the angle of repose decreases with the amount
that only minor errors occur in the prediction of the angle of repose if of material used in the measurement, the size of the particles and lifting
the air flow effects are ignored during the simulation. The angle of repose speed of the hollow cylinder increase.
is found to be increased once the water content in a material exceeded a The angle of repose is not always equal to either the peak or residual
critical value, which is ascribed to the electrostatic attraction between internal friction angle. In direct shear tests, the factors that ensure that
the water molecules and compositional minerals surfaces [154]. As part the angle of repose equals the residual internal friction angle are the
of a segregation study of wet granular material, Chou, Liao and Hsiau sample preparation method and sample conditions, such as moisture
[155] used a rotating drum to show that the dynamic angle of repose in- content, maximum dry density, particle size, etc. Therefore, the angle of
creases with the interstitial liquid volume until a critical amount of repose should be considered as an estimation of the residual internal fric-
liquid. Thereafter, the angle of repose remains constant. Additionally, tion angle only under certain circumstances. Although measurement of
similar trends have been reported between the angle of repose and liquid the angle of repose is fairly simple, slight differences in the sample con-
viscosity [156]. Later, similar results have been presented for effect of ditions or the method of measurement will lead to erroneous results.
both the fluid viscosity and particle density [157], but the angle of repose
decreased as the density increased. Yang et al. [78] concluded that the 6. Recommendations for future research
angle of repose in water is slightly greater than that in air.
Considering this literature review, the following future research is
4.7. Methods of measurement recommended:
A number of comparative studies have reported a significant differ- – To determine the angle of repose, regardless of the method of mea-
ence in the values of angle of repose that are obtained from different surement used, state-of-the-art methodologies (such as digital
image analysis and processing or 3D scanning) and the “fractal [13] ASTM-D6393, Standard test method for bulk solids characterization by Carr
indices, J. ASTM Int. 04.09 (2014), https://doi.org/10.1520/D6393-14.
dimension” [164] may be used instead of linear averaging methods, [14] G.S. Riley, S. Mann, R.O. Jesse, Angle of repose of cohesive powders, J. Powder
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awards and one international (CANMET-ACI) award. He has
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Powder Technology 330 (2018) 397–417

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/powtec

A review on the angle of repose of granular materials

4.2. Particle size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Very free-ﬂowing b30°

some assumptions such as the frictional force is independent of the con-

2. Measurement of the angle of repose 2.1.1. Tilting box method

Fig. 2. Tilting box method [35].

2.1.3. Revolving cylinder/drum method

while the investigations are still ongoing [Associated Press (2018,

2.2. State-of-the-art methods

3.1.4. Hydrodynamics and sedimentology

Fig. 8. Angle of repose of an antlions pit (www.bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au).

Fig. 9. Role of the angle of repose in slope stability (www.personal.kent.edu).

Fig. 10. Recovered stable slope (www.tulane.edu).

Fig. 13. Particle shape simulation in a DEM [94].

corresponding particle size at which XX% of the particles are smaller.

where: emax, emin = maximum and minimum void ratios, respectively;

Fig. 21. Deﬁnitions (a) Roundness (b) Sphericity [117].

Very angular b0.17

of sphericity was proposed by Wadell [109], who deﬁned sphericity as

4.2. Particle size

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