Spontaneous chaotic granular mixing

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

There are several types of instabilities in fluid mechanics that lead to spontaneous chaotic mixing and intricate patterns. Classical examples include the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability1,2 in shear layers, the instability of Taylor-Couette flow between rotating cylinders3,4 and the Rayleigh-Benard instability in thermal convection5. More recently, a variety of two- and three-dimensional chaotic mixing phenomena have been observed in other geometries6-9. Mixing in granular flows10,11, unlike that in stirred fluids, is thought to be diffusive - although periodic forcing has been used to enhance granular mixing12,13, spontaneous chaotic granular mixing has not previously been reported. Here we report the observation of chaotic granular mixing patterns in simple cylindrical tumblers partially filled with fine grains. The patterns form spontaneously when sufficiently fine grains (≤300 μm diameter) are blended. We identify the mechanism by which the chaotic patterns are produced: a periodic stick-slip behaviour occurs in the shear layer separating static and flowing regions of grains. This causes weakly cohesive grains to mix at rates overwhelmingly exceeding those achievable for previously studied11,14 freely flowing grains.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)675-678
Number of pages4
JournalNature
Volume397
Issue number6721
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 25 1999

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Spontaneous chaotic granular mixing'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this