  Using contact dynamics simulations, we compare the effect of rolling
resistance at the contacts in granular systems composed of disks with the
effect of angularity in granular systems composed of regular polygonal
particles. In simple shear conditions, we consider four aspects of the
mechanical behavior of these systems in the steady state: shear strength, solid
fraction, force and fabric anisotropies, and probability distribution of
contact forces. Our main finding is that, based on the energy dissipation
associated with relative rotation between two particles in contact, the effect
of rolling resistance can explicitly be identified with that of the number of
sides in a regular polygonal particle. This finding supports the use of rolling
resistance as a shape parameter accounting for particle angularity and shows
unambiguously that one of the main influencing factors behind the mechanical
behavior of granular systems composed of noncircular particles is the partial
hindrance of rotations as a result of angular particle shape.
