A toroidal approximation of capillary forces in polydisperse granular assemblies.

In this paper we propose a numerical procedure for the prediction of capillary forces in polydisperse granular assemblies at a degree of moisture content that corresponds to the so-called pendular regime. The capillary force model is adopted within the Laplace-Young framework with a toroidal approximation of the liquid bridge geometry. Governing equations are first derived in a form that highlights the role of intrinsic parameters such as inter-particle separation distance, ratio of particle radii and liquid volume. A proper scaling of these equations is adopted so that the solution applies to any particle pair configuration. Numerical integration algorithms are provided in a way that facilitates implementations in macroscopic procedures for computer simulations. A qualitative evaluation is undertaken to highlight model predictions of the effects on capillary force of various intrinsic parameters that characterise the particle pair and liquid bridge. The model is validated against the experimental results provided by Willet et al. (Langmuir 16:9396-9405, ) for a wide range of liquid volumes and particle-pair polydispersity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]