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Stick-slip and intermittent flow dynamics of a single-grain intruder driven through a granular medium with and without basal friction

ORAL

Abstract

We report on experiments in which a grain-sized intruder is pushed by a spring through a quasi-2D granular material in an annular geometry. We study intruder dynamics as a function of packing fraction for two types of supporting substrates: a frictional glass plate and a layer of water, which completely removes basal friction. In the presence of basal friction, we observe a novel crossover with increasing packing fraction from intermittent flow to stick-slip dynamics. In intermittent flow, the intruder only occasionally gets stuck by the medium; in stick-slip, the intruder advances via a sequence of distinct, rapid slip events. With lower interparticle friction, the crossover packing fraction shifts to higher values; when basal friction is removed, no crossover to stick-slip dynamics is observed. We characterize the dynamics using statistics of the intruder velocity, the force of the medium on the intruder, and the waiting times between sticking periods. Our results indicate the qualitative importance of basal friction and suggest a possible connection between intruder dynamics in a static material and clogging dynamics in granular flows.

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Presenters

  • Ryan Kozlowski

    Physics Department, Duke University

Authors

  • Ryan Kozlowski

    Physics Department, Duke University

  • C Manuel Carlevaro

    Instituto de Fisica de Liquidos y Sistemas Biologicos, CONICET, Argentina, Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, La Plata

  • Karen Daniels

    Physics, North Carolina State University, Department of Physics, NCSU, North Carolina State University, Physics Department, North Carolina State University

  • Lou Kondic

    New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey Inst of Tech, Department of Mathematical Sciences and Center for Applied Mathematics and Statistics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Mathematical Sciences Department, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Chemical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology

  • Luis A Pugnaloni

    Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, CONICET, Argentina, Physics Department, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa

  • Joshua Socolar

    Department of Physics & Center for Nonlinear and Complex Systems, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA, Department of Physics, Duke University, Duke University, Physics Department, Duke University

  • Hu Zheng

    Department of Geotechnical Engineering, College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China, Tongji University, Shanghai, Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering Department, Tongji University

  • Robert P Behringer

    Physics Department, Duke University