  Based on numerical simulations of quasistatic deformation of model granular
materials, two rheological regimes are distinguished, according to whether
macroscopic strains merely reflect microscopic material strains within the
grains in their contact regions (type I strains), or result from instabilities
and contact network rearrangements at the microscopic level (type II strains).
We discuss the occurrence of regimes I and II in simulations of model materials
made of disks (2D) or spheres (3D). The transition from regime I to regime II
in monotonic tests such as triaxial compression is different from both the
elastic limit and from the yield threshold. The distinction between both types
of response is shown to be crucial for the sensitivity to contact-level
mechanics, the relevant variables and scales to be considered in
micromechanical approaches, the energy balance and the possible occurrence of
macroscopic instabilities
