Jorge Fiscina

Ribbons of superparamagnetic colloids in magnetic field.

Abstract.While the aggregation process of superparamagnetic colloids in strong magnetic field is well known on short time since a few decades, recent theoretical works predicted an equilibrium state reached after a long time. In the present paper, we present experimental observations of this equilibrium state with a two-dimensional system and we compare our data with the predictions of a pre-existing model. Above a critical aggregation size, a deviation between the model and the experimental data is observed. This deviation is explained by the formation of ribbon-shaped aggregates. The ribbons are formed due to lateral aggregation of chains. An estimation of the magnetic energy for chains and ribbons shows that ribbons are stable structures when the number of magnetic grains is higher than N = 30 .Graphical abstract

FERMI-LIKE BEHAVIOR OF WEAKLY VIBRATED GRANULAR MATTER

Vertical movement of zirconia-yttria stabilized 2 mm balls is measured by a laser facility at the surface of a vibrated 3D granular matter under gravity. Realizations z(t) are measured from the top of the container by tuning the fluidized gap with a 1D measurement window in the direction of the gravity. The statistics obeys a Fermi-like configurational approach which is tested by the relation between the dispersions in amplitude and velocity. We introduce a generalized equipartition law to characterize the ensemble of particles which cannot be described in terms of a Brownian motion. The relation between global granular temperature and the external excitation frequency is established.

Properties of Cu-W Functionally Graded Materials Produced by Segregation and Infiltration

The Cu/W functionally graded material (FGM) was produced by vibration of W agglomerates in order to obtain the W skeleton with a gradient in porosity, which after pressureless sintering was infiltrated with molten Cu. Certain sintering mechanisms are suggested for these complex W structures. The segregation of two different sizes of W agglomerates was controlled by vibration time. Different vibration duration resulted in different types of microstructure: skeleton type microstructure after shorter vibration time and graded type microstructure after extended vibration times. The final Cu-infiltrated FGMs were characterized microstructurally and their electrical resistivity (r) was measured using the 4-probe technique. The values of r were in between those for pure W and Cu, depending strongly on the vibration times of the initial W agglomerates, and exhibiting particular r vs. T (K) behavior.

On the spectrum behaviour of vibrated granular matter

A laser facility based on a linear image sensor with a sampling period of 100 µs allows the investigation of the dissipative dynamics of a vibrated granular matter under gravity. The laser reveals the vertical movement of an individual zirconia–yttria stabilized 2 mm ball at the surface of a weakly excited 3D granular matter bed. The stochastic realizations are measured from the top of the container. Then, power spectra measurements reveal the different cooperative dynamics of the fluidized gap. We also carried out measurements for one steel ball and many balls in 1D and 3D systems. We fit the measured different regimes with generalized Langevin pictures. We introduce a fractional temporal operator to characterize the ensemble of dissipative particles which cannot be represented by a single Langevin particle in a complex fluid.

Influence of cohesive forces on the macroscopic properties of granular assemblies

The influence of cohesive forces inside a granular material is analyzed with compaction experiments. To begin, a model cohesive granular material is considered. This granular material is made of millimetric grains with a cohesion induced by an external magnetic field. Therefore, the cohesion between the grains is adjusted through the intensity of the applied magnetic field. Afterward, the cohesion induced by capillary bridges are considered. In the first study concerning capillary forces, the cohesion between neighboring grains is induced by liquid bridges in a wet granular material. The cohesiveness is tuned using different liquids having specific surface tension values. The second study performed with capillary forces concerns initially dry granular materials surrounded by a well controlled air humidity. Then, the cohesion inside the packing is controlled through the relative humidity which influence both triboelectric and capillary effects. The evolution of the parameters extracted from the compaction ...

Evaporation transition in vibro-fluidized granular matter

Using laser facility, we investigate the speed distribution in the gas phase of a vibrated 3D granular matter bed. Invoking a volume-exclusion principle in a dissipative theory we present a kinetic model to explain the non-Maxwellian distribution, the mean free path and its associated granular-matter global temperature. We reveal that the fluidized gap is a lattice-gas with a constant packing factor.