Strongly driven granular media are known to undergo a transition from a gas-like to a cluster regime when the density of particles is increased. However, the main mechanism triggering this transition is not fully understood so far. Here, we investigate experimentally this transition within a 3D cell filled with beads that are driven by two face-to-face vibrating pistons in low gravity during parabolic flight campaigns. By varying large ranges of parameters, we obtain the full phase diagram of the dynamical regimes reached by the out-of-equilibrium system: gas, cluster or bouncing aggregate. The images of the cell recorded by two perpendicular cameras are processed to obtain the profiles of particle density along the vibration axis of the cell. A statistical test is then performed on these distributions to determinate which regime is reached by the system. The experimental results are found in very good agreement with theoretical models for the gas-cluster transition and for the emergence of the bouncing state. The transition is shown to occur when the typical propagation time needed to transmit the kinetic energy from one piston to the other is of the order of the relaxation time due to dissipative collisions.

We present an experimental model system to study two-dimensional phase transitions. This system is composed of a monolayer of millimetric beads interacting through shor range magnetic dipole-dipole interactions. As the system is athermal, a mechanical agitation is used to produce an erratic motion of the beads. The two-dimensional melting scenario predicted by the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory is observed. Each phase (liquid-hexatic-solid) has been highlighted with the use of both static and dynamic order parameters. Translational and orientational order are, respectively, estimated through the pair correlation function g(r) and both orientational correlation function g 6 (r) and its temporal counterpart g 6 (t). We observe two transitions by tuning the applied magnetic field H . First, a loss of translational order without loss of orientational order is observed. This is the signature of the transition from the solid phase to the so-called "hexatic" phase. Finally, the orientational order disappears, leading to a liquidlike structure.

A new experimental facility has been designed and constructed to study driven granular media in a low-gravity environment. This versatile instrument, fully automatized, with a modular design based on several interchangeable experimental cells, allows us to investigate research topics ranging from dilute to dense regimes of granular media such as granular gas, segregation, convection, sound propagation, jamming, and rheology-all without the disturbance by gravitational stresses active on Earth. Here, we present the main parameters, protocols, and performance characteristics of the instrument. The current scientific objectives are then briefly described and, as a proof of concept, some first selected results obtained in low gravity during parabolic flight campaigns are presented.

During a typical silo discharge, the material flow rate is determined by the contact forces between the grains. Here, we report an original study concerning the discharge of a twodimensional silo filled with repelling magnetic grains. This non-contact interaction leads to a different dynamics from the one observed with conventional granular materials. We found that, although the flow rate dependence on the aperture size follows roughly the power-law with an exponent 3/2 found in non-repulsive systems, the density and velocity profiles during the discharge are totally different. New phenomena must be taken into account. Despite the absence of contacts, clogging and intermittence were also observed for apertures smaller than a critical size determined by the effective radius of the repulsive grains.

It is well known in industrial applications involving powders and granular materials that the relative air humidity and the presence of electrostatic charges influence drastically the material flowing properties. The relative air humidity induces the formation of capillary bridges and modify the grain surface conductivity. The presence of capillary bridges produces cohesive forces. On the other hand, the apparition of electrostatic charges due to the triboelectric effect at the contacts between the grains and at the contacts between the grains and the container produces electrostatic forces. Therefore, in many cases, the powder cohesiveness is the result of the interplay between capillary and electrostatic forces. Unfortunately, the triboelectric effect is still poorly understood, in particular inside a granular material. Moreover, reproducible electrostatic measurements are difficult to perform. We developed an experimental device to measures the ability of a powder to charge electrostatically during a flow in contact with a selected material. Both electrostatic and flow measurements have been performed in different hygrometric conditions. The correlation between the powder electrostatic properties, the hygrometry and the flowing behavior are analyzed.