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American Physical Society, Physical review E: Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics, 3(83), 2011

DOI: 10.1103/physreve.83.031309

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Stochastic transitions and jamming in granular pipe flow

Journal article published in 2011 by Samuel Brand, Robin C. Ball, Mario Nicodemi ORCID
This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

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Abstract

We study a model granular suspension driven down a channel by an embedding fluid via computer simulations. We characterize the different system flow regimes and the stochastic nature of the transitions between them. For packing fractions below a threshold ϕ{m}, granular flow is disordered and exhibits an Ostwald-de Waele-type power-law shear-stress constitutive relation. Above ϕ{m}, two asymptotic states exist; disordered flow can persist indefinitely, yet, in a fraction of samples, the system self-organizes in an ordered form of flow where grains move in parallel ordered layers. In the latter regime, the Ostwald-de Waele relationship breaks down and a nearly solid plug appears in the center, with linear shear regions at the boundaries. Above a higher threshold ϕ{g}, an abrupt jamming transition is observed if ordering is avoided.