Densification under vibration of a saturated granular packing

We show experimentally that a vertically vibrated granular packing can be densified, even when saturated by a Newtonian fluid which reduces the effective buoyancy. Densification is slower than in a dry packing, due to viscous drag, but the final density is higher, due to lubrication. The evolution of the packing density follows the global logarithmic time dependence observed with dry packings, but an additional density-dependent parameter had to be introduced. (C) 2000 Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.