Thursday, August 20, 2026
Science

Soft vibrations reveal warning signs before granular crystals yield

Sand, powders, and other collections of visible-sized grains are found throughout daily life, from food and pharmaceuticals to soils and industrial materials. When grains of similar size are arranged regularly, they can form a strong crystal-like solid. Yet what happens inside such an ordered struct...

Soft vibrations reveal warning signs before granular crystals yield
Image: Phys.org
Sand, powders, and other collections of visible-sized grains are found throughout daily life, from food and pharmaceuticals to soils and industrial materials. When grains of similar size are arranged regularly, they can form a strong crystal-like solid. Yet what happens inside such an ordered structure immediately before it begins to break has remained unclear.

Originally published at Phys.org

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