U.S.-France Cooperative Research: Flows of Grains Down Inclined Channels

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

0233212 Louge This three-year award for US-France collaboration in particle science involves researchers and students at Cornell University and the University of Rennes. Michel Louge in the US and Luc Oger in France lead this cooperative project on the gravitational flow of grains down inclined surfaces. They will investigate the origin and growth of nonlinear granular waves on a flat frictional plane. These waves can lead to intermittent jamming of the flow. Experimental data collected at Cornell will be interpreted using a stability analysis of the corresponding hydraulic theory. This is complemented by French expertise in nonlinear stability and "particle-In-Cell" numerical analysis. The second goal is to establish how fully collisional granular flows can arise on a bumpy incline. If they can be sustained, they require relatively small angles of inclination. To study their dynamics, the investigators will utilize a granular facility chute at Rennes and interpret measurements based on their collisional theories. This award represents the US side of parallel proposals to the NSF and the CNRS. NSF will cover travel funds and living expenses for the US investigator and his students. The CNRS will support visits by French researchers and students to the United States. The project explores fundamental questions in particle science that have implications for industrial processes as diverse as the extraction and processing of ores and chemical engineering and geological phenomena like rockslides and avalanches.