Abstract: International audience; We have investigated the time evolution of a cloud of non-Brownian particles sub- jected to a periodic shear flow in an otherwise pure liquid at low Reynolds number. This experiment illustrates the irreversible nature of particulate systems submitted to a shear. When repeating the cycles of shear, we have found that clouds of particles progressively disperse in the flow direction until reaching a threshold critical volume fraction that depends upon the strain amplitude; this critical volume fraction coin- cides with meas...
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