2003/05/28 by O. Pouliquen, M. Belzons, M. Nicolas
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.91.014301
4 pages
arxiv created 2003/05/28 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30
Using a refractive index matching method, we investigate the trajectories of particles in a three dimensional granular packing submitted to cyclic shear deformation. The particle motion observed during compaction is not diffusive but exhibits transient cage effect, similar to the one observed in colloidal glasses. We precisely study the statistics of the step size between two successive cycles and observe that it is proportional to the shear amplitude. The link between the microscopic observations and the macroscopic evolution of the volume fraction during compaction is discussed.