3. Rheology of vibrated granular media

Granular media are ubiquitous in our environment, and for centuries have been of considerable socio-economic interest in all areas of human activity. As far back as antiquity, the Persians and Egyptians made bricks from agglomerated and dried clays. These techniques are still used today, notably for the restoration of ancient monuments and traditional dwellings. By 6000 BC, powder metallurgy was already being practiced in Mesopotamia, by reducing iron ore with charcoal and forging the resulting agglomerate. It wasn't until the 1930s that powder metallurgy developed on an industrial scale, becoming a major activity during the Second World War. This development was not confined to the metallurgy industry,...