Spatial force correlations in granular shear flow. I. Numerical evidence.
We investigate the emergence of correlations in granular shear flow. By increasing the density of a simulated granular flow, we observe a transition from a dilute regime, where interactions are dominated by binary collisions, to a dense regime characterized by large force networks and collective motions. With increasing density, interacting grains tend to form networks of simultaneous contacts due to the dissipative nature of collisions. We quantify the size of these networks by measuring two-point force correlations and find dramatic changes in the statistics of contact forces as the size of the networks increases.
Lois
Gregg
G
Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
Lemaître
Anaël
A
Carlson
Jean M
JM