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A Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles
Published on: January 21, 2011
Dynamical flow arrest in confined gravity driven flows of soft jammed particles
Pinaki Chaudhuri1, Vincent Mansard, Annie Colin
1Laboratoire PMCN, Université Lyon 1, UMR CNRS 5586, Villeurbanne, France.
Physical Review Letters
|August 7, 2012
Summary
Confinement increases the yield threshold for gravity-driven soft disk flow in channels, unlike in unconfined flows. This jamming behavior is linked to correlated dynamics and stress heterogeneity, leading to more intermittent flow patterns.
Area of Science:
- Soft Matter Physics
- Fluid Dynamics
- Computational Materials Science
Background:
- Jammed soft materials exhibit complex flow behaviors under stress.
- Understanding the influence of confinement on these materials is crucial for predicting their macroscopic properties.
- Previous studies often focused on unconfined or differently confined systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of channel confinement on gravity-driven flow of jammed soft disks.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for changes in flow behavior under confinement.
- To explore the relationship between confinement, flow dynamics, and material yielding.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of gravity-driven flow for jammed soft disks in confined channels.
- Analysis of yield threshold variations between confined and unconfined (planar Couette) flow.
- Application of a nonlocal flow model to understand correlated dynamics and stress heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- Confinement significantly increases the yield threshold for Poiseuille flow, contrary to planar Couette flow observations.
- Correlated dynamics and imposed stress heterogeneity in Poiseuille flow are identified as key factors for this effect.
- Increasing confinement leads to more intermittent flow behavior due to the cooperative nature of the flow.
Conclusions:
- Channel confinement fundamentally alters the flow mechanics of jammed soft materials.
- The observed phenomena, including increased yield threshold and intermittency, are generic to various jammed materials.
- These findings provide insights into the behavior of granular materials, colloids, and other soft systems in confined geometries.
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