What is it is that makes granular materials change from a flowing loose state to a "jammed," or solid, state? Researchers can now explain how granular materials are transformed when force is applied ...

Granular materials, from sands to engineered powders, exhibit complex mechanical behaviour that challenges traditional concepts of solid and fluid mechanics alike. Researchers have increasingly ...

Understanding the way a wave moves through granular materials—after an earthquake, for example—has vast implications for modern science. After all, scientists use stress wave propagation through ...

A stroll on the beach can mean sinking your toes into smooth sand or walking firm-footed on a surface that appears almost solid. While both properties are commonplace, exactly what it is that makes ...

Editor’s note: The following research is among the many talks that scientists from UChicago and its affiliated laboratories will present Feb. 13-17 at the annual meeting of the American Association ...

When we take a stroll on the beach, we walk on the sand without any trouble. The sand appears solid and is difficult to compress. When we put the same sand grains in an hourglass, they behave very ...

Slip sliding away: illustration based on false-colour image of sheared grains and sound waves. (Courtesy: Ted Brzinski) A new experiment has revealed how sheared granular materials emit sound waves ...

Mixing liquids is easy, or at least scientifically understood: a drop of food coloring will eventually mix into a cup of water through diffusion, and a dollop of cream can be mixed into coffee with a ...

One way to reduce the damage caused by avalanches in the mountains is to place obstacles in their path. These obstacles can be artificial barriers or natural forests. Knowing how the avalanche ...