No Arabic abstract
We experimentally investigate the response to perturbations of circular symmetry for dense granular flow inside a three-dimensional right-conical hopper. These experiments consist of particle tracking velocimetry for the flow at the outer boundary of the hopper. We are able to test commonly used constitutive relations and observe granular flow phenomena that we can model numerically. Unperturbed conical hopper flow has been described as a radial velocity field with no azimuthal component. Guided by numerical models based upon continuum descriptions, we find experimental evidence for secondary, azimuthal circulation in response to perturbation of the symmetry with respect to gravity by tilting. For small perturbations we can discriminate between constitutive relations, based upon the agreement between the numerical predictions they produce and our experimental results. We find that the secondary circulation can be suppressed as wall friction is varied, also in agreement with numerical predictions. For large tilt angles we observe the abrupt onset of circulation for parameters where circulation was previously suppressed. Finally, we observe that for large tilt angles the fluctuations in velocity grow, independent of the onset of circulation.
Large-scale three dimensional molecular dynamics simulations of hopper flow are presented. The flow rate of the system is controlled by the width of the aperture at the bottom. As the steady-state flow rate is reduced, the force distribution $P(f)$ changes only slightly, while there is a large change in the impulse distribution $P(i)$. In both cases, the distributions show an increase in small forces or impulses as the systems approach jamming, the opposite of that seen in previous Lennard-Jones simulations. This occurs dynamically as well for a hopper that transitions from a flowing to a jammed state over time. The final jammed $P(f)$ is quite distinct from a poured packing $P(f)$ in the same geometry. The change in $P(i)$ is a much stronger indicator of the approach to jamming. The formation of a peak or plateau in $P(f)$ at the average force is not a general feature of the approach to jamming.
We perform three-dimensional simulations of a granular jet impact for both frictional and frictionless grains. Small shear stress observed in the experiment[X. Cheng et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 188001 (2007) ] is reproduced through our simulation. However, the fluid state after the impact is far from a perfect fluid, and thus, similarity between granular jets and quark gluon plasma is superficial, because the observed viscosity is finite and its value is consistent with the prediction of the kinetic theory.
We discuss in this work the validity of the theoretical solution of the nonlinear Couette flow for a granular impurity obtained in a recent work [preprint arXiv:0802.0526], in the range of large inelasticity and shear rate. We show there is a good agreement between the theoretical solution and Monte Carlo simulation data, even under these extreme conditions. We also discuss an extended theoretical solution that would work for large inelasticities in ranges of shear rate $a$ not covered by our previous work (i.e., below the threshold value $a_{th}$ for which uniform shear flow may be obtained) and compare also with simulation data. Preliminary results in the simulations give useful insight in order to obtain an exact and general solution of the nonlinear Couette flow (both for $age a_{th}$ and $a<a_{th}$).
Granular flows through narrow outlets may be interrupted by the formation of arches or vaults that clog the exit. These clogs may be destroyed by vibrations. A feature which remains elusive is the broad distribution $p(tau)$ of clog lifetimes $tau$ measured under constant vibrations. Here, we propose a simple model for arch-breaking, in which the vibrations are formally equivalent to thermal fluctuations in a Langevin equation; the rupture of an arch corresponds to the escape from an energy trap. We infer the distribution of trap depths from experiments and, using this distribution, we show that the model captures the empirically observed heavy tails in $p(tau)$. These heavy tails flatten at large $tau$, consistently with experimental observations under weak vibrations, but this flattening is found to be systematic, thus questioning the ability of gentle vibrations to restore a finite outflow forever. The trap model also replicates recent results on the effect of increasing gravity on the statistics of clog formation in a static silo. Therefore, the proposed framework points to a common physical underpinning to the processes of clogging and unclogging, despite their different statistics.
Based on discrete element method simulations, we propose a new form of the constitution equation for granular flows independent of packing fraction. Rescaling the stress ratio $mu$ by a power of dimensionless temperature $Theta$ makes the data from a wide set of flow geometries collapse to a master curve depending only on the inertial number $I$. The basic power-law structure appears robust to varying particle properties (e.g. surface friction) in both 2D and 3D systems. We show how this rheology fits and extends frameworks such as kinetic theory and the Nonlocal Granular Fluidity model.