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Scaling Law for Cracking in Shrinkable Granular Packings.
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|November 9, 2019
Summary
Drying granular materials causes them to crack. This study reveals individual grain shrinkage significantly influences crack patterns, leading to a new scaling law for predicting cluster size in granular packings.
Area of Science:
- Granular physics
- Materials science
- Soft matter physics
Background:
- Hydrated granular packings commonly crack into clusters upon drying.
- Predicting the precise cracking patterns in such systems remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of individual grain shrinkage in granular crack patterning.
- To develop a predictive model for crack formation in drying granular materials.
Main Methods:
- Experimental observation of drying granular packings.
- Computational simulations of granular material behavior.
- Extension of Griffith crack theory.
Main Results:
- Individual grain shrinkage is a key factor in determining crack patterns.
- A novel scaling law was derived, linking cluster size to grain shrinkage, stiffness, and size.
- The findings are applicable to various shrinkable granular materials.
Conclusions:
- The study elucidates the mechanism behind crack formation in drying granular packings.
- The developed scaling law offers a quantitative method for predicting crack patterns.
- This work provides a fundamental understanding of granular material fracture during drying.
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