Gravity granular flows of slightly frictional particles down an inclined bumpy chute

Abstract

Gravity-driven granular flow of slightly frictional particles down an inclined, bumpy chute is studied. A modified kinetic model which includes the frictional energy loss effects is used, and the boundary conditions for a bumpy wall with small friction are derived by ensuring the balance of momentum and energy. At the free surface, the condition of vanishing of the solid volume fraction is used. The mean velocity, the fluctuation kinetic energy and the solid volume fraction profiles are evaluated. It is shown that steady granular gravity flow down a bumpy frictional chute could be achieved at arbitrary inclination angles. The computational results also show that the slip velocity may vary considerably depending on the granular layer height, the surface boundary roughness, the friction coefficient and the inclination angles. The model predictions are compared with the existing experimental and simulation data, and good agreement is observed. In particular, the model can well predicate the features of the variation of solid volume fraction and fluctuation energy profiles for different particle–wall friction coefficients and wall roughnesses.