The effect of liquid viscosity on sliding friction coefficient of wet granular materials

The mechanical properties of wet granular materials are different to those of dry granular matter. If the wet granular medium is not completely saturated, the capillary bridges form and the surface tension changes the elastic properties of the medium. We studied the sliding friction of a sledge over wet granular media and found that surface tension and viscosity have crucial effect on the dynamic friction coefficient of the wet granular media. Higher the viscosity of the interstitial liquid results in higher dynamic friction coefficient. Furthermore, viscous interstitial liquid shows time dependency behaviour. Viscosity makes the friction coefficient to increase since causes more the energy loss.

Crystal Size Distributions and Trace Element Compositions of the Fluorapatite from the Bijigou Fe–Ti Oxide-Bearing Layered Intrusion, Central China: Insights for the Expulsion Processes of Interstitial Liquid from Crystal Mush

The Neoproterozoic Bijigou intrusion is one of the largest and well-differentiated Fe–Ti oxide-bearing layered intrusion in Central China, and hosts Fe–Ti oxide ore layers in the middle zone with a total thickness of ∼112 m. In order to examine the role of compaction and compositional convection on the solidification of a layered intrusion associated with the crystallization of large amounts of Fe–Ti oxides, we collected the samples from a drill core profile of the apatite-oxide gabbronorite unit above the main Fe–Ti oxide layer in the middle zone of the Bijigou intrusion and carried out a detailed study on the crystal size distributions (CSDs) and trace element compositions of the fluorapatite in the samples. The apatite-oxide gabbronorite unit is mainly composed of pyroxene and plagioclase with Fe–Ti oxides and fluorapatite interstitial to the silicates, and can be further divided into the lower and upper sections in terms of grain size, rare earth element (REE) concentrations of fluorapatite and stress deformation of minerals. In the lower section, the plagioclase and pyroxene of the rocks are often bent, fluorapatite crystals have grain sizes ranging from ∼0·10 × 0·30 mm to ∼1·00 × 2·50 mm and the average Ce concentration of the fluorapatite of each sample varies from 230 to 387 μg/g. In contrast, the plagioclase and pyroxene of the rocks from the upper section are sparsely bent, fluorapatite crystals range in size from ∼0·05 × 0·05 mm to ∼0·15 × 0·40 mm, and the average Ce concentration of the fluorapatite of each sample varies from 468 to 704 μg/g. Modeling results show that the fraction of trapped liquid (FTL) is ∼7% in the lower section and ∼15% in the upper section, and relatively elevated REE (e.g. Ce) concentrations of the fluorapatite of the upper section are thus likely attributed to the trapped liquid shift (TLS) effect. The TLS effect may have also enhanced the textural coarsening of the fluorapatite of the upper section, which is illustrated by a convex-upward curve for <0·1 mm crystals and a counter-clockwise rotation around a fixed point in the CSDs of the fluorapatite. The CSDs of the fluorapatite of the lower section, however, change from a steep slope for <0·25 mm crystals to a gentle slope for >0·25 mm crystals with a kinked trend akin to mixed crystal populations, which is interpreted as the exchange of interstitial liquid with the main magma body due to compositional convection. The different FTL and fluorapatite CSDs of the lower and upper sections indicate that the interstitial liquid may have been expelled from the crystal mush of the lower section more efficiently than from the upper section, which is likely controlled by both compaction and compositional convection. However, it was the compositional convection that dominated the expulsion of interstitial liquid in the whole apatite-oxide gabbronorite unit, indicating that compositional convection may prevail after the crystallization of large amounts of Fe–Ti oxides from interstitial liquid and weaken the role of compaction.

Differential migration of interstitial immiscible liquids in the Skaergaard Layered Series

<p>The liquid line of descent of the Skaergaard magma intersects a binodal creating an immiscible conjugate pair comprising a dense Fe-rich liquid and a buoyant Si-rich liquid. These two liquids have different wetting properties: the Si-rich liquid wets plagioclase, whereas the Fe-rich liquid wets oxides, pyroxene and olivine. The two liquids may therefore undergo differential migration within a gabbroic crystal mush: the Fe-rich liquid sinks and accumulates in mafic layers, while the Si-rich liquid rises and accumulates in plagioclase-rich regions.</p><p>Field-scale evidence of metre-scale differential migration of unmixed immiscible interstitial liquids is provided by paired felsic and mafic lenses spatially associated with gabbroic pegmatite bodies in the Skaergaard floor cumulates. These represent small batches of late-stage liquids rising from the pegmatite bodies into the overlying mush, and their subsequent separation into immiscible conjugates. The paired lenses form irregular, approximately layer-parallel clusters in thick mush, but thin concordant dendritic structures within strongly foliated thin mush. Invariably the melanocratic component lies stratigraphically below the felsic component.</p><p>Differential migration within the floor cumulates is also recorded by mm-scale mafic and felsic rims developed on the top and bottom margins of anorthositic blocks derived from the roof. Highly tabular blocks have an upper mafic rim and a lower leucocratic rim. As the block aspect ratio decreases, the rims disappear, with the mafic rim retained at lower aspect ratios than the leucocratic rim. We interpret rim formation as a consequence of trapping migrating unmixed interstitial liquid against the relatively impermeable blocks: tabular blocks are most effective at trapping these liquids.</p><p>On a smaller scale, the different wetting properties of the two immiscible conjugates result in post-accumulation pattern formation in rapidly deposited modally graded layers, imposing cm-scale internal layering on the overall modal grading. The tops of the modally-graded layers may also develop felsic flame-like structures interpreted as a consequence of upwards-migration of the immiscible Si-rich conjugate from high-porosity rapidly deposited layers into the overlying cumulates.</p><p>These observations demonstrate the complexity of behaviour in a crystal mush containing a two-phase interstitial liquid. Understanding cumulate evolution necessitates a consideration of the scale of migration of interstitial liquid and the possibility of the differential loss of one of the two conjugates.</p>

The Effect of Grain Size and Shape on Sliding Friction of Wet Granular Media

The wet granular material creates networks in which interstitial liquid provides capillary bridges needed to hold grains together. There is an optimal fraction of the interstitial liquid in which the bridges are formed and the friction coefficient is minimal. We found that the size of the grains affects the friction of wet granular media. Our observations demonstrates that the optimum volume fraction, in which the friction coefficient is minimized, increases with grain size, but for sand immersed in water, this minimum friction coefficient itself increases with size and for glass beads immersed in silicone oil it decreases, indicating that the shape of the grains also has an effect on this friction. It is also shown that there is a crossover point for grain size at which the network effect created by capillary bridges is dominated by wet granular media. This crossover point is found.