ABSTRACT
To begin with the mechanical modeling of a cluster aggregate, it is important to understand the stress distribution inside. When a cluster aggregate is subjected to a tensile load, there appear different stress paths usually running end-to-end in the loading direction. Various studies have shown, that among these stress paths, there is one path (usually the shortest one) carrying the most load (Dinsmore, Prasad, Wong, & Weitz 2006). This path referred to as backbone chain depends on the particle concentration, the shape and the structure of the aggregate and certainly on the loading direction. In this work, we consider this backbone chain as the main source of aggregate elasticity.
