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An experimental study of sidewall-free steady granular surface flow on a heap

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2025

Neiladri Sekhar Ray Open the ORCID record for Neiladri Sekhar Ray [Opens in a new window]  and
Devang Vipin Khakhar Open the ORCID record for Devang Vipin Khakhar [Opens in a new window]
Neiladri Sekhar Ray
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400076, India
Devang Vipin Khakhar*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400076, India
*
Corresponding author: Devang Vipin Khakhar, [email protected]
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Abstract

Granular surface flows are frequently encountered in nature as well as during handling of powders in different industries. An experimental study of granular surface flow on a heap is carried out. The heap is formed by pouring nearly monodisperse spherical particles from the rectangular slit orifice of a hopper on a rough rectangular plate. A flow of particles is developed on the heap surface, which is planar in the central region, with particles flowing over the edge of the plate into a collection chamber. The geometry considered in this study is an example of a fully three-dimensional heap without side walls. The surface velocities of the particles are measured using high-speed videography and particle tracking velocimetry for different mass flow rates with steel balls and glass beads of two different sizes, for heaps of different aspect ratios. The flow is uni-directional and fully developed in a central zone on the heap surface. The flowing layer thickness is measured in this zone by immersing a soot-coated blade into the flow. The angle of inclination of the free surface of the heap is found to be nearly constant for a ten-fold increase of the mass flow rate. The scaled flowing layer thickness is found to vary linearly with the scaled flow rate and the data for all the particles collapse to a single line over a ten-fold increase in the scaled flow rate and an increase in the aspect ratio of the heap by a factor of 1.75. The predicted scaled surface velocity and scaled shear rate using this correlation match the measured values.

JFM classification

Granular media: Avalanches Granular media: Dry granular material
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1008 , 10 April 2025 , A38
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Supplementary material: File

Ray and Khakhar supplementary material movie

Contour lines during on a heap during flow and after the flow has stopped. During flow, the vertical stream of particles falling from the hopper can be seen. The top view of the contours is seen in the reflection in the mirror at the top of the frame.
Download Ray and Khakhar supplementary material movie(File)
File 55.4 MB