# Granulation and suspension rheology: a unified treatment

## TL;DR

This paper presents a unified rheological framework for understanding the transition from dry granules to flowing suspensions, using experiments on Spheriglass and recent shear thickening theories to inform industrial process design.

## Contribution

It introduces a liquid incorporation phase diagram that unifies granulation and suspension rheology, linking experimental observations with shear thickening and jamming theories.

## Key findings

- Existence of permanent and transient granules explained by phase diagram
- Granule size increases with liquid content
- Rheology-based principles can guide industrial granulation processes

## Abstract

Mixing a small amount of liquid into a powder can give rise to dry-looking granules; increasing the amount of liquid eventually produces a flowing suspension. We perform experiments on these phenomena using Spheriglass, an industrially-realistic model powder. Drawing on recent advances in understanding friction-induced shear thickening and jamming in suspensions, we offer a unified description of granulation and suspension rheology. A 'liquid incorporation phase diagram' explains the existence of permanent and transient granules and the increase of granule size with liquid content. Our results point to rheology-based design principles for industrial granulation.