48 research outputs found
Compaction of anisotropic granular materials : experiments and simulations
We present both experimental and numerical investigations of compaction in
granular materials composed of rods. As a function of the aspect ratio of the
particles, we have observed large variations of the asymptotic packing volume
fraction in vertical tubes. The relevant parameter is the ratio between the rod
length and the tube diameter . Even the compaction dynamics remains
unchanged for various particle lengths, a 3d/2d phase transition for grain
orientations is observed for . A toy model for the compaction of
needles on a lattice is also proposed. This toy model gives a complementary
view of our experimental results and leads to behaviors similar to experimental
ones.Comment: 5 pages, 10 figure
Experimental study of the compaction dynamics for 2D anisotropic granular materials
We present an experimental study of the compaction dynamics for
two-dimensional anisotropic granular systems. Compaction dynamics is measured
at three different scales : (i) the macroscopic scale through the packing
fraction , (ii) the mesoscopic scale through both fractions of aligned
grains and ideally ordered grains , and (iii) the
microscopic scale through both rotational and translational grain mobilities
. The effect of the grain rotations on the compaction dynamics has
been measured. At the macroscopic scale, we have observed a discontinuity in
the late stages of the compaction curve. At the mesoscopic scale, we have
observed the formation and the growth of domains made of aligned grains. From a
microscopic point of view, measurements reveal that the beginning of the
compaction process is essentially related to translational motion of the
grains. The grains rotations drive mainly the process during the latest stages
of compaction.Comment: 8pages, 11 figure
Effect of an electric field on an intermittent granular flow
Granular gravity driven flows of glass beads have been observed in a silo
with a flat bottom. A DC high electric field has been applied perpendicularly
to the silo to tune the cohesion. The outlet mass flow has been measured. An
image subtraction technique has been applied to visualize the flow geometry and
a spatiotemporal analysis of the flow dynamics has been performed. The outlet
mass flow is independent of voltage, but a transition from funnel flow to
rathole flow is observed. This transition is of probabilistic nature and an
intermediate situation exists between the funnel and the rathole situations. At
a given voltage, two kinds of flow dynamics can occur : a continuous flow or an
intermittent flow. The electric field increases the probability to observe an
intermittent flow.Comment: Accepted for publication in PRE on Apr 9, 201
Self-assembly processes of superparamagnetic colloids in a quasi-two-dimensional system
Electrically induced tunable cohesion in granular systems
Experimental observations of confined granular materials in the presence of
an electric field that induces cohesive forces are reported. The angle of
repose is found to increase with the cohesive force. A theoretical model for
the stability of a granular heap, including both the effect of the sidewalls
and cohesion is proposed. A good agreement between this model and the
experimental results is found. The steady-state flow angle is practically
unaffected by the electric field except for high field strengths and low flow
rates.Comment: accepted for publication in "Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory
and Experiment
Avoiding clogs: the shape of arches and their stability against vibrations
A distinctive feature of discrete solids is their ability to form arches. These mechanically stable structures alter the isotropy of granular packings and can arrest the motion of grains when, for example, they flow through a bottleneck. Breaking arches can be achieved by means of an external vibration, which effectively eliminates clogging. Indeed, these phenomena and procedures are quite common in industrial applications. Nevertheless, there are not rigorous, well founded criteria to determine the most efficient way to break arches and restore the flow of grains. This happens in part because it is not known which are the relevant characteristics that boost the arch strength. In the experiment presented here, we have carried out a statistical analysis of the arches that block the exit orifice at the bottom of a two dimensional silo, and described their
geometrical properties. We then submit the silo to an external vibration. We find that the larger the outlet size, the weaker the arches that clog it. This dependence is just the outcome of a more complicated process that involves geometrical defects inthe arch. The defects a are quantitatively defined in terms of contact angles and we show that this is a key factor regarding the endurance of arches
Tunable random packings
We present an experimental protocol that allows one to tune the packing fraction eta of a random pile of ferromagnetic spheres from a value close to the lower limit of random loose packing eta(RLP) similar or equal to 0.56 to the upper limit of random close packing eta(RCP) similar or equal to 0.64. This broad range of packing fraction values is obtained under normal gravity in air, by adjusting a magnetic cohesion between the grains during the formation of the pile. Attractive and repulsive magnetic interactions are found to affect stongly the internal structure and the stability of sphere packing. After the formation of the pile, the induced cohesion is decreased continuously along a linear decreasing ramp. The controlled collapse of the pile is found to generate various and reproducible values of the random packing fraction eta