title: Shear-induced solid-fluid transition in a wet granular medium.
abstract: We present a numerical study of a shear-induced solid-fluid transition in wet granular matter. The simulation is based on a simple model that considers both the cohesive forces induced by the adsorbed liquid amount and the repulsive forces due to the excluded volume interaction of the granules. Dissipation is assumed to be entirely due to the hysteretic character of the cohesive forces. In particular, we analyze the dynamics of the system close to the phase transition from solidlike behavior to a mobile ergodic state under the influence of an external force field F, when the latter exceeds a critical force F(c). Diffusion coefficients, dissipation, and kinetic order parameters can be expressed as characteristic scaling laws.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Theoretische Physik, Universität Ulm, D-89069 Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Beatrix M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herminghaus