Physics Colloquium
Friday, October 17th, 2003 4 P.M.
E300 Math/Science Center
Thomas C. Halsey
ExxonMobile Research and Engineering
Dense Granular Flow
Non-thermal yet disordered, strongly dissipative yet rigid, the
mechanics of packings of grains has fascinated physicists and engineers
at least since the time of Coulomb. This talk will focus on one
of the classical problems in this field, the behavior of dense granular
flows driven by gravity. I will give examples of such flows drawn
from geophysics, and then introduce some of the ideas of Ralph Bagnold,
who developed the concepts on which the modern study of granular
flows are based. A systematic phenomenology of dense granular flows
down inclines has recently been developed, based both on numerical
work and on experiments. This phenomenology emphasizes the role
of inelastic collapse in controlling the rheology of these flows,
and hints at the structure of an ultimate theory of dense flows.
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Refreshments 3:30 P.M. Room E200 Math/Science Center
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