162 research outputs found
Where does a cohesive granular heap break?
In this paper, we consider the effect of cohesion on the stability of a
granular heap. We first briefly review literature results on the cohesion force
between two rough granular beads and specifically consider the dependence of
the adhesion force on the normal load. We then compute the dependence of the
maximum angle of stability of the heap as a function of the cohesion. We point
out that the dependence of the cohesive forces on the external normal load
between grains is a key point in determining the localization of the failure
plane. While for a constant cohesive force, slip occurs deep inside the heap,
surface failure is obtained for a linear dependence of the cohesion on the
normal stress.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Thermally Activated Dynamics of the Capillary Condensation
This paper is devoted to the thermally activated dynamics of the capillary
condensation. We present a simple model which enables us to identify the
critical nucleus involved in the transition mechanism. This simple model is
then applied to calculate the nucleation barrier from which we can obtain
informations on the nucleation time. We present a simple estimation of the
nucleation barrier in slab geometry both in the two dimensional case and in the
three dimensional case. We extend the model in the case of rough surfaces which
is closer to the experimental case and allows comparison with experimental
datas.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to J. Phys. : Condens. Matter,
Proceedings of the IV Liquid Matter Conference - Grenada(Spain) july 199
Slow Kinetics of Capillary Condensation in Confined Geometry: Experiment and Theory
When two solid surfaces are brought in contact, water vapor present in the
ambient air may condense in the region of the contact to form a liquid bridge
connecting the two surfaces : this is the so-called capillary condensation.
This phenomenon has drastic consequences on the contact between solids,
modifying the macroscopic adhesion and friction properties. In this paper, we
present a survey of the work we have performed both experimentally and
theoretically to understand the microscopic foundations of the kinetics of
capillary condensation. From the theoretical point of view, we have computed
the free energy barrier associated with the condensation of the liquid from the
gas in a confined system. These calculations allow to understand the existence
of very large hysteresis, which is often associated with capillary
condensation. This results are compatible with experimental results obtained
with a surface forces apparatus in a vapor atmosphere, showing a large hysteris
of the surface energy of two parallel planes as a function of their distance.
In the second part, we present some experiments on the influence of humidity on
the avalanche angle of granular media. We show that the ageing in time of this
avalanche angle can be explained by the slow kinetics of capillary condensation
in a random confined geometry.Comment: Special Volume of Colloids and Surfaces A,Proceedings of
Nanocapillarity: Wetting of Heterogeneous Surfaces and Porous Solids,June
25-27, 2001, TRI/Princeton International Workshop, Editor: Alexander V.
Neimar
Nanorheology : an Investigation of the Boundary Condition at Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interfaces
t has been shown that the flow of a simple liquid over a solid surface can
violate the so-called no-slip boundary condition. We investigate the flow of
polar liquids, water and glycerol, on a hydrophilic Pyrex surface and a
hydrophobic surface made of a Self-Assembled Monolayer of OTS
(octadecyltrichlorosilane) on Pyrex. We use a Dynamic Surface Force Apparatus
(DSFA) which allows one to study the flow of a liquid film confined between two
surfaces with a nanometer resolution. No-slip boundary conditions are found for
both fluids on hydrophilic surfaces only. Significant slip is found on the
hydrophobic surfaces, with a typical length of one hundred nanometers.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for European Physical Journal
E - Sofr Mate
Lubrication effects on the flow of wet granular materials
We investigate the dynamics of a partially saturated grain-liquid mixture
with a rotating drum apparatus. The drum is partially filled with the mixture
and then rotated about its horizontal axis. We focus on the continous
avalanching regime and measure the impact of volume fraction and viscosity of
the liquid on the dynamic surface angle. The inclination angle of the surface
is observed to increase sharply to a peak and then decrease as a function of
liquid volume fraction. The height of the peak is observed to increase with
rotation rate. For higher liquid volume fractions, the inclination angle of the
surface can decrease with viscosity before increasing. The viscosity where the
minima occurs decreases with the rotation rate of the drum. Limited
measurements of the flow depth were made, and these were observed to show only
fractional changes with volume fraction and rotation speeds. We show that the
qualitative features of our observations can be understood by analyzing the
effect of lubrication forces on the timescale over which particles come in
contact.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
A new capacitive sensor for displacement measurement in a surface force apparatus
We present a new capacitive sensor for displacement measurement in a Surface
Forces Apparatus (SFA) which allows dynamical measurements in the range of
0-100 Hz. This sensor measures the relative displacement between two
macroscopic opaque surfaces over periods of time ranging from milliseconds to
in principle an indefinite period, at a very low price and down to atomic
resolution. It consists of a plane capacitor, a high frequency oscillator, and
a high sensitivity frequency to voltage conversion. We use this sensor to study
the nanorheological properties of dodecane confined between glass surfaces.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Slow dynamics and aging of a confined granular flow
We present experimental results on slow flow properties of a granular
assembly confined in a vertical column and driven upwards at a constant
velocity V. For monodisperse assemblies this study evidences at low velocities
() a stiffening behaviour i.e. the stress necessary to obtain
a steady sate velocity increases roughly logarithmically with velocity. On the
other hand, at very low driving velocity (), we evidence a
discontinuous and hysteretic transition to a stick-slip regime characterized by
a strong divergence of the maximal blockage force when the velocity goes to
zero. We show that all this phenomenology is strongly influenced by surrounding
humidity. We also present a tentative to establish a link between the granular
rheology and the solid friction forces between the wall and the grains. We base
our discussions on a simple theoretical model and independent grain/wall
tribology measurements. We also use finite elements numerical simulations to
confront experimental results to isotropic elasticity. A second system made of
polydisperse assemblies of glass beads is investigated. We emphasize the onset
of a new dynamical behavior, i.e. the large distribution of blockage forces
evidenced in the stick-slip regime
Aging in humid granular media
Aging behavior is an important effect in the friction properties of solid
surfaces. In this paper we investigate the temporal evolution of the static
properties of a granular medium by studying the aging over time of the maximum
stability angle of submillimetric glass beads. We report the effect of several
parameters on these aging properties, such as the wear on the beads, the stress
during the resting period, and the humidity content of the atmosphere. Aging
effects in an ethanol atmosphere are also studied. These experimental results
are discussed at the end of the paper.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure
Rheology of a confined granular material
We study the rheology of a granular material slowly driven in a confined
geometry. The motion is characterized by a steady sliding with a resistance
force increasing with the driving velocity and the surrounding relative
humidity. For lower driving velocities a transition to stick-slip motion
occurs, exhibiting a blocking enhancement whith decreasing velocity. We propose
a model to explain this behavior pointing out the leading role of friction
properties between the grains and the container's boundary.Comment: 9 pages, 3 .eps figures, submitted to PR
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