Matthias Sperl

Monitoring three-dimensional packings in microgravity

We present results from experiments with granular packings in three dimensions in microgravity as realized on parabolic flights. Two different techniques are employed to monitor the inside of the packings during compaction: (1) X-ray radiography is used to measure in transmission the integrated fluctuations of particle positions. (2) Stress-birefringence in three dimensions is applied to visualize the stresses inside the packing. The particle motions below the transition into an arrested packing are found to produce a well agitated state. At the transition, the particles lose their energy quite rapidly and form a stress network. With both methods, non-arrested particles (rattlers) can be identified. In particular, it is found that rattlers inside the arrested packing can be excited to appreciable dynamics by the rest-accelerations (g-jitter) during a parabolic flight without destroying the packings. At low rates of compaction, a regime of slow granular cooling is identified. The slow cooling extends over several seconds, is described well by a linear law, and terminates in a rapid final collapse of dynamics before complete arrest of the packing.

Enhanced granular medium-based tube and hollow profile press hardening

Abstract Active and passive control strategies of internal pressure for hot forming of tubes and hollow profiles with granular media are described. Force transmission and plastic deformation of granular medium is experimentally investigated. Friction between tube, granular medium and die, and the external stress field are shown to be essential for the process understanding. Wrinkling, thinning and insufficient forming of the tube establishes the process window for the active pressure process. By improving the punch geometry and controlling tribological conditions, the process limits are extended. Examples for the passive pressure process reveal new opportunities for hot forming of tubes and hollow profiles.

Single-particle dynamics in dense granular fluids under driving

We present a mode-coupling theory for the dynamics of a tagged particle in a driven granular fluid close to the glass transition. The mean-squared displacement is shown to exhibit a plateau indicating structural arrest. In contrast to elastic hard-sphere fluids, which are solely controlled by volume fraction, the localisation length as well as the critical dynamics depend on the degree of dissipation, parametrized by the coefficient of normal restitution e. Hence the resulting glassy structure as well as the critical dynamics are nonuniversal with respect to e.

Higher-Order Singularities without Glass-Glass Transitions An Avoided Glass-Glass Transition

Within the framework of mode-coupling theory, the glass-transition scenario is investigated for a system of particles interacting with a hard-core repulsion and an additional square-shoulder soft core at larger distances. The static structure is calculated from the potential in Percus-Yevick approximation. For certain widths of the shoulder, the exponent parameter λ along the glass-transition line shows a double peak. At both peaks, λ can reach unity indicating the existence of higher-order glass-transition singularities. It is shown that these higher-order singularities originate from a line of avoided glass-glass transitions.

Particle characterization using THz spectroscopy

THz extinction spectroscopy extends UV–Vis and NIR-spectroscopy to characterize particles from fine powders and dust to sand, grains and granulated materials. We extract particle sizes from the spectral position of the first peak of the interference structure and size distributions from the visibility of the fine ripple structure in the measured extinction spectra. As such, we can demonstrate a route for a quick determination of these parameters from single measurements.

Granular structure determined by terahertz scattering

Light scattering from particles reveals static and dynamical information about the particles and their correlations. Such methods are particularly powerful when the wavelength of the light is chosen similar to the sizes and distances of the particles. To apply scattering to investigate granular matter in particular —or other objects of similar submillimeter size— light of suitable wavelength in the terahertz regime needs to be chosen. By using a quantum cascade laser in a benchtop setup we determine the angle-dependent scattering of spherical particles as well as coffee powder and sugar grains. The scattering from single particles can be interpreted by form factors derived within the Mie theory. In addition, collective correlations can be extracted as static structure factors and compared to recent computer simulations.

Drop tower setup to study the diffusion-driven growth of a foam ball in supersaturated liquids in microgravity conditions

The diffusion-driven growth of a foam ball is a phenomenon that appears in many manufacturing process as well as in a variety of geological phenomena. Usually these processes are greatly affected by gravity, as foam is much lighter than the surrounding liquid. However, the growth of the foam free of gravity effects is still very relevant, as it is connected to manufacturing in space and to the formation of rocks in meteorites and other small celestial bodies. The aim of this research is to investigate experimentally the growth of a bubble cloud growing in a gas-supersaturated liquid in microgravity conditions. Here, we describe the experiments carried out in the drop tower of the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM). In few words, a foam seed is formed with spark-induced cavitation in carbonated water, whose time evolution is recorded with two high-speed cameras. Our preliminary results shed some light on how the size of the foam ball scales with time, in particular at times much longer than what could be studied in normal conditions, i.e. on the surface of the Earth, where the dynamics of the foam is already dominated by gravity after several milliseconds.

Kinetic theory for strong uniform shear flow of granular media at high density

We discuss the uniform shear flow of a fluidized granular bed composed of monodisperse Hertzian spheres. Considering high densities around the glass transition density of inelastic Hertzian spheres, we report kinetic theory expressions for the Newtonian viscosity as well as the Bagnold coefficient. We discuss the dependence of the transport coefficients on density and coefficient of restitution.

Probing density waves in fluidized granular media with diffusing-wave spectroscopy

Density waves are characteristic for fluidized beds and affect measurements on liquidlike dynamics in fluidized granular media. Here the intensity autocorrelation function as obtainable with diffusing-wave spectroscopy is derived in the presence of density waves. The predictions by the derived form of the intensity autocorrelation function match experimental observations from a gas-fluidized bed. The model suggests separability of the contribution from density waves from the contribution by microscopic scatterer displacement to the decay of correlation and thus paves the way for characterizing microscopic particle motions using diffusing-wave spectroscopy as well as heterogeneities in fluidized granular media.

Drop Tower Setup for Dynamic Light Scattering in Dense Gas-Fluidized Granular Media

Investigation of dynamics in dense granular media is challenging. Here we present a setup that facilitates gas fluidization of dense granular media in microgravity. The dynamics is characterized using diffusing wave spectroscopy. We demonstrate that agitated granular media reach a steady state within fractions of a second in drop tower flights. The intensity autocorrelation functions obtained in microgravity show a remarkable dependence on sample volume fraction and driving strength. A plateau in correlation emerges at low volume fractions and strong driving, while correlation decays only very slowly but continuously at high packing fractions. The setup allows to independently set sample volume fraction and driving strength, and thus extends the possibilities for investigations on dynamics in dense granular on ground.