CONSTITUTIVE THEORY FOR HOMOGENEOUS GRANULAR SHEAR FLOWS OF HIGHLY INELASTIC SPHERES

A constitutive theory is developed in this present steady, homogeneous , granular shear flows of identical, smooth and highly inelastic spher es. The important mean fields in these flows are the solid fraction, m ean velocity and full second moment of fluctuation velocity. The const itutive theory, which consists of the pressure tensor and the collisio nal source of second moment, is based upon an anisotropic Maxwellian v elocity distribution function. The constitutive relation for the press ure tensor contains contribution coming from both kinetic transport be tween collisions and collisional transport between particles. Conseque ntly, it applies toward the full range of the solid fractions. The con stitutive theory is combined in this study with the balance equation f or full second moment so as to determine each component of the second moment and the pressure tensor. Most strikingly, normal pressure discr epancies, which increase with particle inelasticity, are observed here . (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.