Inertia and Air Drag in the Brazil Nut Problem.pdfVIP

a r X i v : c o n d - m a t / 0 2 0 5 4 4 6 v 2 [ c o n d - m a t .s t a t - m e c h ] 1 0 F e b 2 0 0 4 Inertia in the Brazil Nut Problem Y. Nahmad-Molinari, G. Canul-Chay and J. C. Ruiz-Sua?rez? Departamento de F??sica Aplicada, CINVESTAV-IPN, Unidad Me?rida, A. P. 73 “Cordemex,” Me?rida, Yucata?n 97310, Me?xico. (February 1, 2008) The rise dynamics of a large particle, in a granular bed under vertical vibrations, is experimentally studied with an inductive device designed to track the particle while it climbs through the granulate under different conditions. A model based on energy considerations is presented to explain our experimental data, drawing the important conclusion that it is the inertia of the particle, assisted by Reynolds dilatancy, the driven force behind its ascension mechanism. The ascension reveals a friction profile within the column which remains unchanged for different accelerations. Industries dealing with non-consolidated granular ma- terials are aware of the following phenomenon: large par- ticles in a bed of small ones rise and segregate to the top when the system is vertically shaken. This is an im- portant issue, since very often granular mixtures loose their homogeneity properties when they are in vibrating environments (see, for instance, a recent review by A. Rosato1). When particle separation in granular beds is the aim of an industrial process, the phenomenon can be used in our favor. In any case, a complete understanding of this problem is a scientific challenge not completely fulfilled despite the great number of experimental and theoretical studies carried out in the last years2–6. One of the first quantitative attempts to understand granular segregation using dynamic simulations, was re- ported in 19875. The problem, baptized by Rosato and coauthors with the appealing name of “Brazil Nut Prob- lem” (BNP), has been theoretically studied ever since, using several computer models4,7–9. Such studies focused mainly on the inf