Corey O’Hern - “Mysteries of Sand”

source: Yale University     2016年10月28日
Conventional liquids (such as water, milk, and oil) and solids (such as ice, wood, and metal) are made of atoms that interact via attractive, “sticky” forces. In contrast, dry sand is composed of grains that only interact via purely repulsive forces, which prevent grains from passing through each other. The fact that sand grains are much larger than atoms and are not sticky gives rise to interesting properties that differ from those of conventional solids and liquids. Dr. Corey O’Hern with Thibault Bertrand assisting, explore the Mysteries of Sand as part of Yale’s Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena NSF MRSEC and Pathways to Science program.