title: Forced axial segregation in axially inhomogeneous rotating systems.
abstract: Controlling segregation is both a practical and a theoretical challenge. Using a novel drum design comprising concave and convex geometry, we explore, through the application of both discrete particle simulations and positron emission particle tracking, a means by which radial size segregation may be used to drive axial segregation, resulting in an order of magnitude increase in the rate of separation. The inhomogeneous drum geometry explored also allows the direction of axial segregation within a binary granular bed to be controlled, with a stable, two-band segregation pattern being reliably and reproducibly imposed on the bed for a variety of differing system parameters. This strong banding is observed to persist even in systems that are highly constrained in the axial direction, where such segregation would not normally occur. These findings, and the explanations provided of their underlying mechanisms, could lead to radical new designs for a broad range of particle processing applications but also may potentially prove useful for medical and microflow applications.
authors.affiliation: Multi-Scale Mechanics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MESA+, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, B15 2TT.
authors.forename: C R K
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Windows-Yule
authors.affiliation: Multi-Scale Mechanics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MESA+, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luding
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, B15 2TT.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Multi-Scale Mechanics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MESA+, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.|Mathematics of Computational Science, Department of Applied Mathematics, MESA+, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Thornton