Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- 1 Microscopy of soft materials
- 2 Computational methods to study jammed systems
- 3 Soft random solids: particulate gels, compressed emulsions, and hybrid materials
- 4 Langmuir monolayers
- 5 Computer modeling of granular rheology
- 6 Rheological and microrheological measurements of soft condensed matter
- 7 Particle-based measurement techniques for soft matter
- 8 Cellular automata models of granular flow
- 9 Photoelastic materials
- 10 Image acquisition and analysis in soft condensed matter
- 11 Structure and patterns in bacterial colonies
- Index
- References
5 - Computer modeling of granular rheology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- 1 Microscopy of soft materials
- 2 Computational methods to study jammed systems
- 3 Soft random solids: particulate gels, compressed emulsions, and hybrid materials
- 4 Langmuir monolayers
- 5 Computer modeling of granular rheology
- 6 Rheological and microrheological measurements of soft condensed matter
- 7 Particle-based measurement techniques for soft matter
- 8 Cellular automata models of granular flow
- 9 Photoelastic materials
- 10 Image acquisition and analysis in soft condensed matter
- 11 Structure and patterns in bacterial colonies
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Granular materials are ubiquitous throughout nature. From the beauty of sand dunes and the rings of Saturn to the destructive power of snow avalanches and mudslides, the flow of ice floes, and the manner in which plate tectonics determine much of the morphology of the Earth [1–4]. These phenomena arise from the interplay between structural and dynamical properties that result in the collective behavior of a vast number of smaller, distinct entities that we call “grains.” From a technological point of view, granular materials play a dominant role in numerous industries, such as mining, agriculture, civil engineering, pharmaceuticals manufacturing, and ceramic component design. Even apparently the most mundane of activities from coffee bean bag filling at the grocery store to pouring salt onto our dinner plates at night involve various aspects of granular matter mechanics that continue to puzzle us. It is estimated that particulate media are second only to water as the most manipulated material for human usage [4], amounting to trillions of dollars per annum in the US alone. The importance of granular materials to our daily lives cannot be overstated.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010