We report on experiments on vertically shaken binary granular mixtures, which separate into their components due to the external excitation. This well-known phenomenon, where large particles rise to the top of the mixture, is called the Brazil-nut effect. Recent theoretical findings predict also a reverse Brazil-nut effect, where large particles sink to the bottom of the container. We choose spherical beads of various diameters and materials in order to observe the transition from Brazil-nut effect to its reverse form. The direction of demixing depends sensitively on the external excitation, so that it is possible to switch between both effects for a given mass density ratio.
The influence of a liquid film on the coefficient of restitution (COR) is investigated experimentally by tracing freely falling particles bouncing on a wet surface. The dependence of the COR on the impact velocity and various properties of the particle and liquid is presented and discussed in terms of dimensionless numbers that characterize the interplay between inertial, viscous, and surface forces. In the Reynolds number regime where lubrication theory does not apply, the ratio of the film thickness to the particle size is found to be a crucial parameter determining the COR.
A segregation phenomenon in a horizontally vibrated monolayer of granular matter is studied experimentally. In a binary mixture of small spheres and larger disks, the collapse speed of the disks increases dramatically with increasing granular temperature. The scaling behavior can be understood by applying arguments from kinetic gas theory.
The coefficient of restitution of a spherical particle in contact with a flat plate is investigated as a function of the impact velocity. As an experimental observation we notice non-trivial (nonGaussian) fluctuations of the measured values. For a fixed impact velocity, the probability density of the coefficient of restitution, p(ε), is formed by two exponential functions (one increasing, one decreasing) of different slope. This behavior may be explained by a certain roughness of the particle which leads to energy transfer between the linear and rotational degrees of freedom.
Transport effects in a monolayer consisting of a binary granular mixture, confined in a horizontally vibrating circular dish, are studied experimentally and compared with a reduced theoretical model. Depending on the ratio of the particles' material density and size, migration of the larger particles occurs either towards the boundary or to the center of the circular container. These directed motions show similarities to the Brazil-nut effect and its reverse form.
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