Steady shear rheology of a granular crystal containing a single dislocation

Abstract: Monodisperse granular particles can form crystals whose yielding behavior is strongly affected by dislocations and differs markedly from that of conventional amorphous granular materials. Yet the rate dependence of their post-yield steady rheology remains unclear. We use the discrete element method to study steady shear in a granular crystal containing a single dislocation. We find that the steady shear-to-normal stress ratio $μ_b$ is organized by the scaled dislocation velocity $v_d/v_s$, rather than by the conventional inertial number $I$. Here, $v_d$ is related to the imposed shear rate through Orowan kinematics, and $v_s$ is a characteristic Hertzian elastic-wave speed. At low $v_d/v_s$, the stress ratio approaches a small plateau associated with the elastic lattice barrier and interparticle friction. At intermediate values of $v_d/v_s$, contact damping strongly affects the approximately linear increase of the stress ratio above the plateau. As $v_d/v_s$ approaches unity, the stress develops a stronger nonlinear velocity dependence. At still higher velocities, the coordination deficit rises sharply, marking the breakdown of crystalline order and the end of the single-dislocation description. These results identify the scaled dislocation velocity as the relevant rate variable for the steady rheology of dislocation-mediated granular flow and clarify the distinct roles of interparticle friction and contact damping in the low- and intermediate-velocity regimes, respectively.