Transition dynamics and magic-number-like behavior of frictional granular clusters.
Abstract
Force chains, the primary load-bearing structures in dense granular materials, rearrange
in response to applied stresses and strains. These self-organized grain columns rely
on contacts from weakly stressed grains for lateral support to maintain and find new
stable states. However, the dynamics associated with the regulation of the topology
of contacts and strong versus weak forces through such contacts remains unclear. This
study of local self-organization of frictional particles in a deforming dense granular
material exploits a transition matrix to quantify preferred conformations and the
most likely conformational transitions. It reveals that favored cluster conformations
reside in distinct stability states, reminiscent of "magic numbers" for molecular
clusters. To support axial loads, force chains typically reside in more stable states
of the stability landscape, preferring stabilizing trusslike, three-cycle contact
triangular topologies with neighboring grains. The most likely conformational transitions
during force chain failure by buckling correspond to rearrangements among, or loss
of, contacts which break the three-cycle topology.
Type
Journal articleSubject
ColloidsComputer Simulation
Friction
Models, Chemical
Models, Molecular
Phase Transition
Rheology
Shear Strength
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10952Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1103/PhysRevE.86.011306Publication Info
Tordesillas, Antoinette; Walker, David M; Froyland, Gary; Zhang, Jie; & Behringer,
Robert P (2012). Transition dynamics and magic-number-like behavior of frictional granular clusters.
Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys, 86(1 Pt 1). pp. 011306. 10.1103/PhysRevE.86.011306. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10952.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Robert P. Behringer
James B. Duke Professor of Physics
Dr. Behringer's research interests include granular materials: friction, earthquakes,
jamming; nonlinear dynamics; and fluids: Rayleigh-Benard convection, the flow of thin
liquid films, porous media flow, and quantum fluids. His studies focus particularly
on experiments (with some theory/simulation) that yield new insights into the dynamics
and complex behavior of these systems. His experiments involve a number of highly
novel approaches, including the use of photoelasticity for probing granular
This author no longer has a Scholars@Duke profile, so the information shown here reflects
their Duke status at the time this item was deposited.

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