Rheology of wet granular materials under quasi-static shear

Small amounts of liquid drastically change the rheological property of granular materials due to the cohesive interaction given by capillary bridges between grains.
The rheology of wet granular materials plays an essential role in industry, but it is not completely understood.

In this study, we numerically investigate the rheological property of wet granular materials under quasi-static shear at constant volume.
We show that wet granular materials behave like solids with a finite shear modulus and yield stress even below the jamming point of dry grains.
Furthermore, we will explain the origin of the solid-like behavior from the contact network.