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Jamming transition and new percolation universality classes in particulate systems with attraction
Gregg Lois1, Jerzy Blawzdziewicz, Corey S O'Hern
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8284, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|February 1, 2008
Summary
We numerically studied jamming transitions in attractive particulate systems. Two critical transitions, connectivity and rigidity percolation, were observed, differing from lattice models and resembling experimental gelation transitions.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Statistical Mechanics
Background:
- Jamming transitions are critical points where disordered systems lose fluidity.
- Particulate systems with attractive forces exhibit complex mechanical behaviors.
- Understanding these transitions is crucial for designing materials with specific properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To numerically investigate the jamming transition in particulate systems with attractive forces at zero temperature (T=0).
- To identify and characterize critical transitions governing the mechanical response.
- To compare the observed transitions with existing models and experimental findings.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of particulate systems at zero temperature.
- Analysis of mechanical response to probe system behavior.
- Identification of critical transitions, specifically connectivity and rigidity percolation.
Main Results:
- Three distinct regimes of mechanical behavior were identified.
- Two critical transitions, connectivity and rigidity percolation, were found to separate these regimes.
- These transitions belong to different universality classes than their lattice counterparts due to force balance constraints.
- The transitions remained unchanged at low temperatures.
Conclusions:
- The jamming transition in attractive particulate systems is characterized by connectivity and rigidity percolation.
- Force balance constraints lead to distinct universality classes compared to lattice models.
- The observed transitions align with experimental gelation transitions in colloidal and silica gels.
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