We consider the impact of the effective gravitational acceleration g{eff} on gravity-driven granular shear flow utilizing a tumbler of radius R rotating at angular velocity omega when g{eff} is varied up to 25 times the gravitational level on Earth in a large centrifuge. The Froude number Fr=omega{2}R/g{eff} is shown to be the proper scaling to characterize the effect of gravity on the angle of repose of the flowing layer. Likewise, transitions between flow regimes depend on Fr. Furthermore, the thickness of the flowing layer is independent of the g level. These results provide a starting point for understanding granular flows on planetary bodies with g{eff} different than on Earth for application to planetary exploration and formation of geologic features.

In a rotating tumbler that is more than one-half filled with a granular material, a core of material forms that should ideally rotate with the tumbler. However, the core rotates slightly faster than the tumbler (precession) and decreases in size (erosion). The precession and erosion of the core provide a measure of the creeping granular motion that occurs beneath a continuously flowing flat surface layer. Since the effect of gravity on the subsurface flow has not been explored, experiments were performed in a 63% to 83% full granular tumbler mounted in a large centrifuge that can provide very high g-levels. Two colors of 0.5 mm glass beads were filled side by side to mark a vertical line in the 45 mm radius quasi-two-dimensional tumbler. The rotation of the core with respect to the tumbler (precession) and the decrease in the size of the core (erosion) were monitored over 250 tumbler revolutions at accelerations between 1g and 12g. The flowing layer thickness is essentially independent of the g-level for identical Froude numbers, and the shear rate in the flowing layer increases with increasing g-level. The degree of core precession increases with the g-level, while the core erosion is essentially independent of the g-level. Based on a theory for core precession and erosion, the increased precession is likely a consequence of the higher shear rate. Core erosion, on the other hand, is related to the creep region decay constant, which is connected with slow diffusion in the bed and unaffected by gravity.

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The onset of thermal convection and the effect of rotation in a high Prandtl number fluid in a wide gap between two concentric spheres with an axial force field are investigated experimentally. Both spheres rotate along the vertical axis with the same angular velocity Ω while the inner one (r 1 ) is cooled and the outer one (r 2 ) is heated. The velocity field is investigated by different visualization techniques and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The axisymmetric basic flow is disturbed by local instabilities. At a Rayleigh number of Ra = 6.97 · 10 6 , a pulsing vortex develops in the south polar region. A different, coexisting instability in the outer boundary layer appears at Ra = 1.79 · 10 7 . Rotating with Taylor numbers Ta > 1.4 · 10 5 , this instability vanishes. The instabilities occur mainly in the southern hemisphere where the thermal stratification is unstable.