Computer simulation of granular materials

Abstract

Granular materials (or powders) are a special class of matter. They're not solid, liquid, or gas, yet they behave like any of these states under the proper conditions: they assume a solid state when they reach a certain volume fraction of their constituent particles (the so-called jammed state), can flow like liquid at lower volume fractions or when sheared, or even exhibit the properties of a gas in a highly fluidized bed or when their container is strongly shaken. Jamming occurs when an amorphous collection of particles spontaneously develops rigidity and supports weight, like a solid instead of flowing like a liquid. The transition takes place without static spatial ordering but is accompanied by long-range dynamical correlations arising from the collective motion of groups of particles. Show more