Microscopic and macroscopic effects of surface lubricant films in granular shear

Experiments were conducted to investigate the link between particle-particle interaction forces and the bulk properties of granular shear using an idealized system of near-spherical, monosized glass beads. The atomic force microscopy colloidal probe technique was employed to investigate the adhesion and friction between a single bead and a second glass surface, while the annular shear cell was used to measure the shear properties of the bulk granular material. A covalently bound monomolecular film of aliphatic chains was introduced to alter the tribological interactions between the particles. The atomic force microscope was used to measure the reduction in the particle-particle surface forces resulting from the addition of the boundary lubricant, while the shear cell showed that the effect of the lubricant film was to reduce the coefficient of internal friction and the dilation during shear. This is an experimental study to provide quantitative data linking particle-particle interaction forces and the shear properties of a granular body.