CNCS Center for Nonlinear and Complex Systems
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Publications [#303616] of Robert P. Behringer

Papers Published

  1. Cox, M; Wang, D; Barés, J; Behringer, RP, Self-organized magnetic particles to tune the mechanical behavior of a granular system, Epl (Europhysics Letters), vol. 115 no. 6 (September, 2016), pp. 64003-64003, IOP Publishing [1511.02219v1], [doi]
    (last updated on 2019/02/20)

    Abstract:
    © 2016, EPLA. Above a certain density a granular material jams. This property can be controlled by either tuning a global property, such as the packing fraction or by applying shear strain, or at the micro-scale by tuning grain shape, inter-particle friction or externally controlled organization. Here, we introduce a novel way to change a local granular property by adding a weak anisotropic magnetic interaction between particles. We measure the evolution of the pressure, P, and coordination number, Z, for a packing of 2D photo-elastic disks, subject to uniaxial compression. A fraction R m of the particles have embedded cuboidal magnets. The strength of the magnetic interactions between particles is too weak to have a strong direct effect on P or Z when the system is jammed. However, the magnetic interactions play an important role in the evolution of latent force networks when systems containing a large enough fraction of the particles with magnets are driven through unjammed to jammed states. In this case, a statistically stable network of magnetic chains self-organizes before jamming and overlaps with force chains once jamming occurs, strengthening the granular medium. This property opens a novel way to control mechanical properties of granular materials.