Granulation is a process whereby a dense colloidal suspension is converted
into pasty granules (surrounded by air) by application of shear. Central to the
stability of the granules is the capillary force arising from the interfacial
tension between solvent and air. This force appears capable of maintaining a
solvent granule in a jammed solid state, under conditions where the same amount
of solvent and colloid could also exist as a flowable droplet. We argue that in
the early stages of granulation the physics of dilatancy, which requires that a
powder expand on shearing, is converted by capillary forces into the physics of
arrest. Using a schematic model of colloidal arrest under stress, we speculate
upon various jamming and granulation scenarios. Some preliminary experimental
results on aspects of granulation in hard-sphere colloidal suspensions are also
reported.Comment: Original article intended for J Phys Cond Mat special issue on
Granular Materials (M Nicodemi, Ed.
