Shear-induced diffusion in dense granular fluids

Abstract

Granular materials are comprised of solid, athermal grains. Whilst immune to thermal motion, these grains move and diffuse when they undergo shear deformation. Here we introduce this process of shear-induced diffusion with a focus on dense flows. The goal is to present the established scaling laws for continuum diffusivity and to relate them to the micro-mechanisms of a granular random walk. We then suggest how this knowledge may help advance our understanding of granular rheology and diffusion in other soft-materials.