Sedimentation of granular columns in the viscous and weakly inertial regimes.
We investigate the dynamics of granular columns of point particles that interact via long-range hydrodynamic interactions and fall under the action of gravity. We investigate the influence of inertia using the Green's function for the Oseen equation. The initial conditions (density and aspect ratio) are systematically varied. Our results suggest that universal self-similar laws may be sufficient to characterize the temporal and structural evolution of the granular columns. A characteristic time above which an instability is triggered (which may enable the formation of clusters) is also retrieved and discussed.
Laboratoire Ondes et Matière d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, UMR No. 5798 associée au CNRS, F-33400 Talence, France.
Hamza
H
Chraïbi
Yacine
Y
Amarouchene