The transition of a liquid bridge profile from convex to concave and the associated capillary forces are experimentally studied via particle-particle and particle-plane pairs. The results demonstrate that a convex liquid bridge appears at a relatively large water volume and small separation distance, where the capillary force remains approximately constant. As the separation distance increases, the liquid bridge is stretched from convex to concave, and the capillary force initially doesn't change much but increases to the maximum value and then decreases gradually. By combining analytical analysis and experimental data, a framework is proposed for predicting the evolution of liquid bridge profiles. Additionally, a capillary force model that is applicable to both convex and concave liquid bridges is formulated. The applicability of this force model to multiple-particle systems is demonstrated by comparing DEM predictions of repose angles of sandpile and hopper flow discharge rates with experimental measurements at various water contents. (c) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.