The role of inter-particle friction on rheology and texture of wet granular flows.

Abstract

In order to get insight into the rheology and texture of rough unsaturated granular flows, we study the effects of the inter-particle friction coefficient on the macroscopic attributes and the texture variables of steady-state shearing flow of wet granular materials by relying on three-dimensional (3D) particle dynamics simulations. The macroscopic attributes are characterized by the macroscopic friction coefficient, macroscopic cohesion, and the packing fraction. The microstructural variables are characterized by the fabric and force anisotropies, the coordination number, and the stress transmission ratio. We show that the macroscopic observables behave as a function of the inertial number as a dry case for different values of the inter-particle friction coefficient. In particular, the macroscopic friction coefficient increases and the packing fraction decreases rapidly for small values of the friction coefficient, then they almost reach plateaus for higher values of the friction coefficient. Interestingly, all the macroscopic observables nicely behave as a function of the small values of the friction coefficient. Similarly, we also observe these characteristics for the fabric and force anisotropies and the coordination number as well as the stress transmission ratio which reflects the intermediate relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical behavior of such flows.