Abstract
We investigate the onset of irreversibility in a dense granular medium subjected to cyclic shear in a split-bottom geometry. To probe the micro- and mesoscale, we image bead trajectories in three dimensions throughout a series of shear strain oscillations. Although beads lose and regain contact with neighbors during a cycle, the global topology of the contact network exhibits reversible properties for low oscillation amplitudes. With increasing reversal amplitude, a transition to an irreversible diffusive regime occurs.
- Received 23 September 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.85.021309
©2012 American Physical Society