This introductory text develops the fundamental physics of the behavior of granular materials. It covers the basic properties of flow, friction, and fluidization of uniform granular materials; discusses mixing and segregation of heterogeneous materials (the famous "brazil-nut problem"); and concludes with an introduction to numerical models. The presentation begins with simple experiments and uses their results to build concepts and theorems about materials whose behavior is often quite counter-intuitive; presenting in a unified way the background needed to understand current work in the field. Developed for students at the University of Paris, the text will be suitable for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduates; while also being of interest to researchers and engineers just entering the field.

The topics discussed in this text range from quasi-static problems to dynamic problems, and are divided into 15 groups, such as: cohesion/cracking; wave propagation; and quasi-static behaviour. Each group contains theoretical, experimental and computational approaches by researchers.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on the Micromechanics of Granular Media, Powders and Grains 2005. Powders and Grains is an international scientific conference held every 4 years that brings together engineers and physicists interested in the micromechanics of granular media.The book is a guide to the hotte

The science of complex materials continues to engage researchers from a vast range of disciplines, including physics, mathematics, computational science, and virtually all domains of engineering. This volume presents a unique multidisciplinary panorama of the current research in complex materials. The contributions explore an array of problems reflecting recent developments in four main areas: characterization and modeling of disordered packings, micromechanics and continuum theory; discrete element method; statistical mechanics. The common theme is the quest to unravel the connection between the microscopic and macroscopic properties of complex materials. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Foam as granular matter (2,433 KB). Contents: Foam as Granular Matter (D Weaire et al.); Delaunay Simplex Analysis of the Structure of Equal Sized Spheres (A V Anikeenko et al.); On Entropic Characterization of Granular Materials (R Blumenfeld); Mathematical Modeling of Granular Flow-Slides (I Vardoulakis & S Alevizos); The Mechanics of Brittle Granular Materials (I Einav); Stranger than Friction: Force Chain Buckling and Its Implications for Constitutive Modelling (A Tordesillas); Investigations of Size Effects in Granular Bodies During Plane Strain Compression (J Tejchman & J Grski); Granular Flows: Fundamentals and Applications (P W Cleary); Fine Tuning DEM Simulations to Perform Virtual Experiments with Three-Dimensional Granular Packings (G W Delaney et al.); Fluctuations in Granular Materials (R P Behringer); Statistical Mechanics of Dense Granular Media (M Pica Ciamarra et al.); Compaction of Granular Systems (P Richard et al.). Readership: Physicists, material scientists, soil engineers and applied mathematicians.

Handling of powders and bulk solids is a critical industrial technology across a broad spectrum of industries, from minerals processing to bulk and fine chemicals, and the food and pharmaceutical industries, yet is rarely found in the curricula of engineering or chemistry departments. With contributions from leading authors in their respective fields, Characterisation of Bulk Solids provides the reader with a sound understanding of the techniques, importance and application of particulate materials characterisation. It covers the fundamental characteristics of individual particles and bulk particulate materials, and includes discussion of a wide range of measurement techniques, and the use of material characteristics in design and industrial practice. The reader will then be in a better position to diagnose solids handling and processing problems in industry, and to deal with experts and equipment suppliers from an informed standpoint. Written for post-graduate engineers, chemical scientists and technologists at all stages of their industrial career, the book will also serve as an ideal primer in any of the specialist areas to inform further study.