(The MIT Press)
by Etienne Guyon (Author), Jean-Yves Delenne (Author), Farhang Radjai (Author), Erik Butler (Translator), Ken Kamrin (Foreword)
Explaining the science contained in a simple assembly of grains―the most abundant form of matter present on Earth.
Granular
media―composed of vast amounts of grains, consolidated or
not―constitute the most abundant form of solid matter on Earth. Granular
materials assemble in disordered configurations scientists often liken
to a bag of marbles. Made of macroscopic particles rather than
molecules, they defy the standard scheme of classification in terms of
solid, liquid, and gas. Granular materials provide a model relevant to
various domains of research, including engineering, physics, and
biology. William Blake famously wished “To See a World in a Grain of
Sand”; in this book, pioneering researchers in granular matter explain
the science hidden behind simple grains, shedding light on collective
behavior in disordered settings in general.
The authors begin by
describing the single grain with its different origins, shapes, and
sizes, then examine grains in piled or stacked form. They explain the
packing fraction of granular media, a crucial issue that bears on the
properties displayed in practical applications; explore small-scale
deformations in piles of disordered grains, with particular attention to
friction; and present theories of various modes of disorder. Along the
way, they discuss such concepts as force chains, arching effects, wet
grains, sticky contacts, and inertial effects. Drawing on recent
numerical simulations as well as classical concepts developed in physics
and mechanics, the book offers an accessible introduction to a rapidly
developing field.
