Rolling velocity and relative motion of particle detector in local granular flow

Abstract

The velocity of a particle detector in granular flow can be regarded as the combination of rolling and sliding velocities. The study of the contribution of rolling velocity and sliding velocity provides a new explanation to the relative motion between the detector and the local granular flow. In this study, a spherical detector using embedded inertial navigation technology is placed in the chute granular flow to study the movement of the detector relative to the granular flow. It is shown by particle image velocimetry (PIV) that the velocity of chute granular flow conforms to Silbert’s formula. And the velocity of the detector is greater than that of the granular flow around it. By decomposing the velocity into sliding and rolling velocity, it is indicated that the movement of the detector relative to the granular flow is mainly caused by rolling. The rolling detail shown by DEM simulation leads to two potential mechanisms based on the position and drive of the detector.