Abstract
We present an experiment on crystallization of packings of macroscopic granular spheres. This system is often considered to be a model for thermally driven atomic or colloidal systems. Cyclically shearing a packing of frictional spheres, we observe a first order phase transition from a disordered to an ordered state. The ordered state consists of crystallites of mixed fcc and hcp symmetry that coexist with the amorphous bulk. The transition, initiated by homogeneous nucleation, overcomes a barrier at 64.5% volume fraction. Nucleation consists predominantly of the dissolving of small nuclei and the growth of nuclei that have reached a critical size of about ten spheres.
Highlights
We present an experiment on crystallization of packings of macroscopic granular spheres
Shearing a packing of frictional spheres, we observe a first order phase transition from a disordered to an ordered state
Disordered fluid states are observed below the freezing density of φ 1⁄4 0.495 and crystalline ordered states appear above the melting density of φ 1⁄4 0.545, with coexistence of the two phases for intermediate densities [21]
Summary
We present an experiment on crystallization of packings of macroscopic granular spheres. Shearing a packing of frictional spheres, we observe a first order phase transition from a disordered to an ordered state. Packings of spheres show interesting features such as phase transitions between disordered and ordered states, and can be useful in the study of amorphous atomic configurations [1].
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