Granular Flows in Rough Annular Shear Cells

Granular flows are complex flows of solid granular material which are being studied in several industries such as solids processing, natural phenomena and coal-based fossil fuel systems. However, it has been a challenge to understand them because of their non-linear and multiphase behavior. The present experimental work investigates granular flows undergoing shear, by specifically studying the interaction between rough surfaces and granular flows when several system properties are varied. These properties include global solid fraction, grain materials (hence COR), macroscopic roughness, and rotation rate (rpm).
PFTL Research Assistant(s):   Martin C. Marinack Jr.; Benjamin Cosio; Deepak C. Patil
Method(s) Employed:   High Speed Video, Digital Particle Tracking Velocimetry (DPTV), Image Processing
Rig(s) and/or Software(s) Employed:   Granular Shear Cell (GSC), Photron FASTCAM SA4 High Speed Camera, Vision Research Phantom v7.1 High-Speed Camera, Mathematica
Sponsor(s):   NETL; NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Sample Results:

a
b c

 

Select PFTL References:

Marinack Jr., M.C., Jasti, V., Choi, Y.E., Higgs III, C.F., 2011, "Couette Grain Flow Experiments: The Effects of the Coefficient of Restitution, Global Solid Fraction, and Materials," Powder Technology, 211(1), pp. 144-155.

McCarthy, J.J., Jasti, V., Marinack, M., Higgs, C.F., 2010, "Quantitative Validation of the Discrete Element Method using an Annular Shear Cell," Powder Technology, 203(1), pp. 70-77. (Invited Paper).

Marinack Jr., M.C., Jasti, V.J., Higgs III, C.F., 2009, "An Experimental Study of the Effect of Global Solid Fraction and Surface Material on Couette Granular Flow," Proceedings of the ASME/STLE International Joint Tribology Conference 2009, Memphis, TN.

Jasti, V., Higgs III, C.F., 2008, "Experimental Study of Granular Flows in a Rough Annular Shear Cell", Physical Review E, 78(4), p. 041306.