2004/12/18 by Sudheshna Moka, Prabhu R. Nott · 4 citations
Engineering · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Granular flow and fluidized beds #Landslides and related hazards #Particle Dynamics in Fluid Flows #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.95.068003
Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett
arxiv created 2004/12/18 · openalex publication_date 2005/08/05 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present measurements of the particle velocity distribution in the slow flow of granular material through vertical channels. The velocities of particles adjacent to the smooth, transparent front face of the channel were determined by video imaging and particle tracking. We find that the mean velocity changes sharply in shear layers near the side walls, but remains constant in a substantial core. The velocity distribution is non-Gaussian, is anisotropic, and follows a power law at large velocities. Remarkably, the distribution is identical in the shear layer and the core. We show evidence of spatially correlated motion, and propose a mechanism for the generation of fluctuational motion in the absence of shear.