The critical rheology of sheared frictional granular materials near jamming transition is numerically investigated. It is confirmed that there exists a true critical density which characterizes the onset of the yield stress and two fictitious critical densities which characterize the scaling laws of rheological properties. We find the existence of a hysteresis loop between two of the critical d...

Transmission of forces in static granular materials is studied within the framework of the force network ensemble, by numerically evaluating the mechanical response of hexagonal packings of frictionless grains and rectangular packings of frictional grains. In both cases, close to the point of application of the overload, the response is nonlinear and displays two peaks, while at larger length s...

A description of billiard-ball collisions using a ‘discontinuous’ model is presented considering a two-step situation corresponding to the ball–ball interaction followed by ball-supporting surface interaction. It is applied to the inelastic impact of a cue ball having arbitrary pivotment and ‘English’ spins against an object ball initially at rest. This formulation provides a simplified approxi...

The theoretical examination of the friction between solids is discussed with a focus on self-assembled monolayers, carbon-containing materials and antiwear additives. Important findings are illustrated by describing examples where simulations have complemented experimental work by providing a deeper understanding of the molecular origins of friction. Most of the work discussed herein makes use ...

Damage to mechanical components caused by wear is considered to be an important issue for mechanical engineers. For the purpose of wear resistance, it is necessary to improve the material properties of the mechanical elements. Furthermore, low friction plays an important role in saving energy. Hence, it is important to establish a key technology for wear resistance and low friction through appr...

The Janssen effect is a unique property of confined granular materials experiencing gravitational compaction in which the pressure at the bottom saturates with an increasing filling height due to frictional interactions with side walls. In this Letter, we replace gravitational compaction with frictional compaction. We study friction-compacted 2D granular materials confined within fixed boundari...

3D computer simulations and experiments are employed to study random packings of compressible spherical grains under external confining stress. In the rigid ball limit, we find a continuous transition in which the stress vanishes as (straight phi-straight phi(c))(beta), where straight phi is the (solid phase) volume density. The value of straight phi(c) depends on whether the grains interact vi...

This paper analyzes local lattice rotations introduced in severely deformed polycrystalline titanium by friction stir welding. Nondestructive three-dimensional (3D) spatially resolved polychromatic X-ray microdiffraction, is used to resolve the local crystal structure of the restructured surface from neighboring local structures in the sample material. The measurements reveal strong gradients o...

Slip and fall incidences are common in our daily lives. They are not only important environmental safety issues but also important occupational safety and health problems. The purpose of this study was to use the Brungraber Mark II to measure the friction so as to investigate the effects of the shoe sole, surface condition and the inclined angle of the floor and their interactions on friction c...

In this work, the thermal stability and the oxidation and tribological behavior of nanoporous a-BC:H films are studied and compared with those in conventional diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. a-BC:H films were deposited by pulsed plasma chemical vapor deposition using B(CH3)3 gas as the boron source. A DLC interlayer was used to prevent the a-BC:H film delamination produced by oxidation. Therma...