Related papers: Structural transition of force chains observed by …
We study the dynamics of the passage of a stiff chain through a pore into a cell containing particles that bind reversibly to it. Using Brownian Molecular Dynamics simulations we investigate the mean-first-passage time as a function of the…
We study theoretically the complex network of forces that is responsible for the static structure and properties of granular materials. We present detailed calculations for a model in which the fluctuations in the force distribution arise…
The transmission of forces through a disordered granular system is studied by means of a geometrical-topological approach that reduces the granular packing into a set of layers. This layered structure constitutes the skeleton through which…
We have recently developed some simple continuum models of static granular media which display "fragile" behaviour: they predict that the medium is unable to support certain types of infinitesimal load (which we call "incompatible" loads)…
We study experimentally the fluctuations of deformation along a shear fault naturally emerging within a compressed frictional granular medium. Using laser interferometry, we show that the deformation inside this granular gouge occurs as a…
Seismic attenuation in granular porous media is of paramount importance in rock physics and seismology. Unlike sandstones, shales are mixtures of sand grains and clays with extremely low porosity and permeability. Swelling of clays upon…
We investigate the influence of fractal structure on material properties. We calculate the statistical correlation functions of fractal media defined by level-cut Gaussian random fields. This allows the modeling of both surface fractal and…
When materials are loaded below their short-term strength over extended periods, a slow time-dependent process known as creep deformation takes place. During creep deformation, the structural properties of a material evolve as a function of…
We numerically study the potential energy landscape of a fragile glassy system and find that the dynamic crossover corresponding to the glass transition is actually the effect of an underlying geometric transition caused by a qualitative…
We study the drag force experienced by an object slowly moving at constant velocity through a 2D granular material consisting of bidisperse disks. The drag force is dominated by force chain structures in the bulk of the system, thus showing…
As a granular material is compressed, the particles and forces within the system arrange to form complex heterogeneous structures. Force chains are a prime example and are thought to constrain bulk properties such as mechanical stability…
We perform an experimental study of granular impact, where intruders strike 2D beds of photoelastic disks from above. High-speed video captures the intruder dynamics and the local granular force response, allowing investigation of…
The mechanical properties of soft matter are of great importance in countless applications, in addition of being an active field of academic research. Given the relative ease with which soft materials can be deformed, their non-linear…
It is shown here that fracture after a brief plastic strain, typically of a few percents, is a necessary consequence of the polycrystalline nature of the materials. The polycrystal undergoing plastic deformation is modeled as a flowing…
Fragmentation can be observed in nature and in everyday life on a wide range of length scales and for all kinds of technical applications. Most studies on dynamic failure focus on the behaviour of bulk systems in one, two and three…
We review the present status of our research and understanding regarding the dynamics and the statistical properties of earthquakes, mainly from a statistical physical viewpoint. Emphasis is put both on the physics of friction and fracture,…
We numerically investigate sound damping in a model of granular materials in two dimensions. We simulate evolution of standing waves in disordered frictionless disks and analyze their damped oscillations by velocity autocorrelation…
The arrangements of particles and forces in granular materials have a complex organization on multiple spatial scales that ranges from local structures to mesoscale and system-wide ones. This multiscale organization can affect how a…
Granular flows during a shear-induced mixing process are studied using Discrete Element Methods. The aim is to understand the underlying elementary mechanisms of transition from unmixed to mixed phases for a granular material featuring a…
The irregularity of particle motions during quasi-static deformation is investigated using discrete element (DEM) simulations of sphere and sphere-cluster assemblies. A total of three types of interparticle movements are analyzed: relative…