Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Shear-induced diffusion in dense granular fluids
Pierre Rognon1, Matthew Macaulay1
1Particles and Grains Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. pierre.rognon@sydney.edu.au matthew.macaulay@sydney.edu.au.
Abstract:
Granular materials are comprised of solid, athermal grains. Whilst immune to thermal motion, these grains move and diffuse when they undergo shear deformation. Here we introduce this process of shear-induced diffusion with a focus on dense flows. The goal is to present the established scaling laws for continuum diffusivity and to relate them to the micro-mechanisms of a granular random walk. We then suggest how this knowledge may help advance our understanding of granular rheology and diffusion in other soft-materials.
Related Concept Videos
Newtonian Fluid: Problem Solving
A velocity gradient forms within the fluid when a Newtonian fluid is placed between two parallel plates, with...
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane
Diffusion
Diffusion
Navier–Stokes Equations
Types of Fluids
In contrast, non-Newtonian fluids do not follow Newton's law of viscosity, and...

