Reverse segregation and self-organization in inclined chute flows of bidisperse granular mixtures

Fuente: arXiv
Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Monti, Joseph M., Clemmer, Joel T., Srivastava, Ishan, Silbert, Leonardo E., Grest, Gary S., Lechman, Jeremy B.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1866912812185419776
author Monti, Joseph M.
Clemmer, Joel T.
Srivastava, Ishan
Silbert, Leonardo E.
Grest, Gary S.
Lechman, Jeremy B.
author_facet Monti, Joseph M.
Clemmer, Joel T.
Srivastava, Ishan
Silbert, Leonardo E.
Grest, Gary S.
Lechman, Jeremy B.
contents In the usual segregation scenario for stable inclined chute flows of bidisperse mixtures of fine and coarse spherical particles, coarse particles rise toward the free surface, forming a coarse-rich region atop the flowing pile. Beyond a threshold coarse-to-fine diameter ratio of approximately 4, conversely, the weight of the coarse particles exceeds the segregation driving forces, causing individual coarse particles to sink within the pile and producing a reversed segregation state. However, an understanding of the collective evolution of the pile structure is still lacking when the particle diameter ratio exceeds 4 {\textit{and}} the coarse particle mass fraction is appreciable. To explore this broadly bidisperse limit, we perform discrete element method simulations considering mean particle diameter ratios of up to 8 and coarse particle mass fractions spanning 0.1 to 0.9. The steady-state flow profiles reveal several intriguing behaviors that depend on the diameter ratio and mass fraction. These include a previously identified transition from usual to reverse segregation and a newfound tendency to self-organize into alternating coarse- and fine-rich particle layers stacked along the shear gradient direction, with layer thickness dictated by the coarse particle diameter. A fuller understanding of segregation at this scale could pave the way for enhanced mixing or demixing techniques at the commercial scale.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_05940
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Reverse segregation and self-organization in inclined chute flows of bidisperse granular mixtures
Monti, Joseph M.
Clemmer, Joel T.
Srivastava, Ishan
Silbert, Leonardo E.
Grest, Gary S.
Lechman, Jeremy B.
Soft Condensed Matter
In the usual segregation scenario for stable inclined chute flows of bidisperse mixtures of fine and coarse spherical particles, coarse particles rise toward the free surface, forming a coarse-rich region atop the flowing pile. Beyond a threshold coarse-to-fine diameter ratio of approximately 4, conversely, the weight of the coarse particles exceeds the segregation driving forces, causing individual coarse particles to sink within the pile and producing a reversed segregation state. However, an understanding of the collective evolution of the pile structure is still lacking when the particle diameter ratio exceeds 4 {\textit{and}} the coarse particle mass fraction is appreciable. To explore this broadly bidisperse limit, we perform discrete element method simulations considering mean particle diameter ratios of up to 8 and coarse particle mass fractions spanning 0.1 to 0.9. The steady-state flow profiles reveal several intriguing behaviors that depend on the diameter ratio and mass fraction. These include a previously identified transition from usual to reverse segregation and a newfound tendency to self-organize into alternating coarse- and fine-rich particle layers stacked along the shear gradient direction, with layer thickness dictated by the coarse particle diameter. A fuller understanding of segregation at this scale could pave the way for enhanced mixing or demixing techniques at the commercial scale.
title Reverse segregation and self-organization in inclined chute flows of bidisperse granular mixtures
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.05940