Experimental analysis of dynamic properties in wet sheared granular matter

Abstract

We performed experiments to measure the dynamic properties of wet granular matter in a shear cell device. The purpose was to quantify the effect of the liquid bridge force on granular systems. The motions of the granular materials were recorded by a high-speed camera. Image processing technology and particle tracking method were employed to measure the velocities, fluctuation velocities and granular temperatures in the streamwise and the transverse directions. The results show that adding small amounts of liquid with different viscosities, and changing the wall velocity, both have significant influences on the dynamic properties of wet granular matter due to the formation and rupturing of liquid bridges. The energy dissipation due to the formation and rupturing of the liquid bridges increases with the increase of wall velocity and the increase of liquid viscosity. The effect of the liquid bridge force on the dynamic properties is not only dependent on the liquid viscosity but also on the kinetic energy of the granular system.