No Arabic abstract
We study the rheological properties of a granular suspension subject to constant shear stress by constant volume molecular dynamics simulations. We derive the system `flow diagram in the volume fraction/stress plane $(phi,F)$: at low $phi$ the flow is disordered, with the viscosity obeying a Bagnold-like scaling only at small $F$ and diverging as the jamming point is approached; if the shear stress is strong enough, at higher $phi$ an ordered flow regime is found, the order/disorder transition being marked by a sharp drop of the viscosity. A broad jamming region is also observed where, in analogy with the glassy region of thermal systems, slow dynamics followed by kinetic arrest occurs when the ordering transition is prevented.
The drainage of particulate foams is studied under conditions where the particles are not trapped individually by constrictions of the interstitial pore space. The drainage velocity decreases continuously as the particle volume fraction $phi_{p}$ increases. The suspensions jam - and therefore drainage stops - for values $phi_{p}^{*}$ which reveal a strong effect of the particle size. In accounting for the particular geometry of the foam, we show that $phi_{p}^{*}$ accounts for unusual confinement effects when the particles pack into the foam network. We model quantitatively the overall behavior of the suspension - from flow to jamming - by taking into account explicitly the divergence of its effective viscosity at $phi_{p}^{*}$. Beyond the scope of drainage, the reported jamming transition is expected to have a deep significance for all aspects related to particulate foams, from aging to mechanical properties.
The velocity fluctuations present in macroscopically homogeneous suspensions of neutrally buoyant, non-Brownian spheres undergoing simple shear flow, and their dependence on the microstructure developed by the suspensions, are investigated in the limit of vanishingly small Reynolds numbers using Stokesian dynamics simulations. We show that, in the dilute limit, the standard deviation of the velocity fluctuations is proportional to the volume fraction, in both the transverse and the flow directions, and that a theoretical prediction, which considers only for the hydrodynamic interactions between isolated pairs of spheres, is in good agreement with the numerical results at low concentrations. We also simulate the velocity fluctuations that would result from a random hard-sphere distribution of spheres in simple shear flow, and thereby investigate the effects of the microstructure on the velocity fluctuations. Analogous results are discussed for the fluctuations in the angular velocity of the suspended spheres. In addition, we present the probability density functions for all the linear and angular velocity components, and for three different concentrations, showing a transition from a Gaussian to an Exponential and finally to a Stretched Exponential functional form as the volume fraction is decreased. We also show that, although the pair distribution function recovers its fore-aft symmetry in dilute suspensions, it remains anisotropic and that this anisotropy can be accurately described by assuming the complete absence of any permanent doublets of spheres. We finally present a simple correction to the analysis of laser-Doppler velocimetry measurements.
The phenomenon of shear-induced jamming is a factor in the complex rheological behavior of dense suspensions. Such shear-jammed states are fragile, i.e., they are not stable against applied stresses that are incompatible with the stress imposed to create them. This peculiar flow-history dependence of the stress response is due to flow-induced microstructures. To examine jammed states realized under constant shear stress, we perform dynamic simulations of non-Brownian particles with frictional contact forces and hydrodynamic lubrication forces. We find clear signatures that distinguish these fragile states from the more conventional isotropic jammed states.
We investigate velocity probability distribution functions (PDF) of sheared hard-sphere suspensions. As observed in our Stokes flow simulations and explained by our single-particle theory, these PDFs can show pronounced deviations from a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. The PDFs are symmetric around zero velocity and show a Gaussian core and exponential tails over more than six orders of magnitude of probability. Following the excellent agreement of our theory and simulation data, we demonstrate that the distribution functions scale with the shear rate, the particle volume concentration, as well as the fluid viscosity.
Large-scale three dimensional molecular dynamics simulations of hopper flow are presented. The flow rate of the system is controlled by the width of the aperture at the bottom. As the steady-state flow rate is reduced, the force distribution $P(f)$ changes only slightly, while there is a large change in the impulse distribution $P(i)$. In both cases, the distributions show an increase in small forces or impulses as the systems approach jamming, the opposite of that seen in previous Lennard-Jones simulations. This occurs dynamically as well for a hopper that transitions from a flowing to a jammed state over time. The final jammed $P(f)$ is quite distinct from a poured packing $P(f)$ in the same geometry. The change in $P(i)$ is a much stronger indicator of the approach to jamming. The formation of a peak or plateau in $P(f)$ at the average force is not a general feature of the approach to jamming.