A Monte Carlo solution for rapidly shearing granular flows based on the kinetic theory of dense gases

Abstract

A Monte Carlo simulation is developed for the study of rapidly deforming, steady, simple shear flows of inelastic disks or spheres. The simulation is based on the theoretical framework of the kinetic theory of dense gases. In the simulation, space is discarded in an explicit sense and replaced by an isotropic, homogeneous, and uncorrelated space based on the assumption of a state of simple shear, a uniform concentration field, and molecular chaos. The simulation generates a distribution of particle velocities which corresponds to the parameters of the flow. The velocity distribution is a numerical solution to the Boltzmann equation under these conditions. The Monte Carlo simulation defines the limits to the accuracy of analytical granular flow theories based on the kinetic theory and the assumption of molecular chaos.