Velocity measurements of sheared granular flows

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The flow behaviors of granular materials in a shear cell were experimentally studied. Different masses of granular materials were put in an annular shear device with a stationary upper wall and a constantly rotated lower wall. The image processing technique and the particle tracking method were employed to measure average particle velocities and fluctuating velocities in the streamwise and transverse directions. The granular flows consisted of a low shear rate region with higher and more uniform velocities in the lower test section, and a high shear rate region in the upper part. The velocities decreased with the height, while the fluctuations, granular temperature and shear rate increased with the height. The velocity fluctuations were anisotropic and were greater in the streamwise direction. The slip velocity and the low shear layer thickness were greater for the case with greater total granular mass.