32 research outputs found
A micromechanical model of collapsing quicksand
The discrete element method constitutes a general class of modeling
techniques to simulate the microscopic behavior (i.e. at the particle scale) of
granular/soil materials. We present a contact dynamics method, accounting for
the cohesive nature of fine powders and soils. A modification of the model
adjusted to capture the essential physical processes underlying the dynamics of
generation and collapse of loose systems is able to simulate "quicksand"
behavior of a collapsing soil material, in particular of a specific type, which
we call "living quicksand". We investigate the penetration behavior of an
object for varying density of the material. We also investigate the dynamics of
the penetration process, by measuring the relation between the driving force
and the resulting velocity of the intruder, leading to a "power law" behavior
with exponent 1/2, i.e. a quadratic velocity dependence of the drag force on
the intruder.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for granular matte
The effect of contact torques on porosity of cohesive powders
The porosity of uniaxially compacted cohesive powders depends on the applied
stress (including gravity). The case, where these stresses are weak, is
considered. The compaction results in a porosity which is a function of
sliding, rolling and torsion friction. By contact dynamics simulations it is
shown that the influences of contact torques (static rolling and torsion
friction) on the porosity are significant and approximately additive. The
relevance for nano-powder pressure sintering is discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Swimming in Granular Media
We study a simple model of periodic contraction and extension of large
intruders in a granular bed to understand the mechanism for swimming in an
otherwise solid media. Using an event-driven simulation, we find optimal
conditions that idealized swimmers must use to critically fluidize a sand bed
so that it is rigid enough to support a load when needed, but fluid enough to
permit motion with minimal resistance. Swimmers - or other intruders - that
agitate the bed too rapidly produce large voids that prevent traction from
being achieved, while swimmers that move too slowly cannot travel before the
bed re-solidifies around them i.e., the swimmers locally probe the fundamental
time-scale in a granular packing
A micromechanical model of collapsing quicksand
The discrete element method constitutes a general class of modeling techniques to simulate the microscopic behavior (i.e. at the particle scale) of granular/soil materials. We present a contact dynamics method, accounting for the cohesive nature of fine powders and soils. A modification of the model adjusted to capture the essential physical processes underlying the dynamics of generation and collapse of loose systems is able to simulate "quicksand” behavior of a collapsing soil material, in particular of a specific type, which we call "living quicksand”. We investigate the penetration behavior of an object for varying density of the material. We also investigate the dynamics of the penetration process, by measuring the relation between the driving force and the resulting velocity of the intruder, leading to a "power law” behavior with exponent 1/2, i.e. a quadratic velocity dependence of the drag force on the intrude
The Role of Contact Angle Hysteresis for Fluid Transport in Wet Granular Matter
The stability of sand castles is determined by the structure of wet
granulates. Experimental data about the size distribution of fluid pockets are
ambiguous about their origin. We discovered that contact angle hysteresis plays
a fundamental role in the equilibrium distribution of bridge volumes, and not
geometrical disorder as commonly conjectured, which has substantial
consequences on the mechanical properties of wet granular beds, including a
history dependent rheology and lowered strength. Our findings are obtained
using a novel model where the Laplace pressures, bridge volumes and contact
angles are dynamical variables associated to the contact points. While
accounting for contact line pinning, we track the temporal evolution of each
bridge. We observe a cross-over to a power-law decay of the variance of
capillary pressures at late times and a saturation of the variance of bridge
volumes to a finite value connected to contact line pinning. Large scale
simulations of liquid transport in the bridge network reveal that the
equilibration dynamics at early times is well described by a mean field model.
The spread of final bridge volumes can be directly related to the magnitude of
contact angle hysteresis
Liquid migration in sheared unsaturated granular media
We show how liquid migrates in sheared unsaturated granular media using a grain scale model for capillary bridges. Liquid is redistributed to neighboring contacts after rupture of individual capillary bridges leading to redistribution of liquid on large scales. The liquid profile evolution coincides with a recently developed continuum description for liquid migration in shear bands. The velocity profiles which are linked to the migration of liquid as well as the density profiles of wet and dry granular media are studie