Granular piston-probing in microgravity: powder compression, from densification to jamming.

ABSTRACT: The macroscopic response of granular solids is determined by the microscopic fabric of force chains, which, in turn, is intimately linked to the history of the solid. To query the influence of gravity on powder flow behavior, a granular material is subjected to compression by a piston in a closed container, on-ground and in microgravity (on parabolic flights). Results show that piston-probing densifies the packing, eventually leading to jamming of the material compressed by the piston, regardless of the gravitational environment. The onset of jamming is found to appear at lower packing fraction in microgravity ([Formula: see text]) than on-ground ([Formula: see text]). We interpret these findings as the manifestation of a granular fabric altered by the gravitational force field: in absence

SUBMITTER: D'Angelo O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9637118 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature