Numerical investigation of granular flow in a shear cell

Granular flow in a shear cell under conditions relevant to those in an annular cell is investigated based on the results obtained by using the Discrete Element Method. The distributions of porosity and coordination number are studied, and the relationship of these variables is established. The so-called I-rheology proposed by Jop et al. [Nature (London) 441, 727 (2006)] is tested. The results display that the I-rheology can effectively describe the intermediate flow regime, whereas significant deviations take place when it is applied to the quasi-static regime. The correlations between stresses and packing fraction are examined and the packing fraction values for the quasi-static/intermediate and intermediate/inertial regime transitions are identified. The force networks/structures for different scaled stiffness are analyzed to further understand the regime-transitions for the granular flow