title: Sinking of light intruders in a shaken granular bed.
abstract: We present an experimental study of the displacement of a light intruder immersed in a vibrated granular bed. Using high speed video we resolve the motion, during one cycle of oscillation, of a cylindrical object inside a Plexiglas box partially filled with grains. We report experimental evidence that, in the absence of convection, at least two forces are behind the intruder's motion: an air drag force--due to the airflow through the granular bed--and a buoyancy force produced by an air-mediated granular fluid.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Física, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apartado Postal 89000, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela. ijsanche@ivic.gob.ve
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Iker
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zuriguel
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maza