Cascade Crack in Chain of Beads

TL;DR

This paper models how a chain of beads connected by liquid bridges breaks apart through a cascade process, influenced by initial bridge length and resulting in specific fragment sizes and fragmentation speeds.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for understanding cascade crack dynamics in bead chains linked by liquid bridges, highlighting the role of initial bridge length.

Findings

Fragmentation cascade depends on initial liquid bridge length.

Number and size of fragments are determined by initial conditions.

Fragmentation front velocity varies with initial bridge length.

Abstract

We consider a homogeneous chain of spheres linked by liquid bridges under tension. The rupture of a single liquid bridge leads to a fragmentation cascade driven by the inverse relation between the capillary force and the sphere distances. The initial length of the liquid bridges determines the number and size of the fragments and the velocity of the fragmentation front.