The flow deep within granular piles

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Khan, Aqib, Nott, Prabhu R
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Khan, Aqib
Nott, Prabhu R
author_facet Khan, Aqib
Nott, Prabhu R
contents Grain piles embody the complex mechanics and kinematics of disordered granular materials, including solid-like and fluid-like behaviours, complex kinematics, and preparation history-dependent stress variation. It is widely believed that the bulk of a growing pile is static and flow is confined to a thin layer at the surface, but very few studies have investigated the subsurface kinematics. Here we study the flow within conical grain piles by flow imaging experiments and particle dynamics simulations. We provide direct evidence of continuous plastic flow deep within piles as grains are poured from above, and show that the direction of flow varies smoothly from vertical at the symmetry axis to parallel to the surface at the periphery. Our findings provide new insight into the kinematics and rheology of granular media, including the nature of creep in seemingly solid-like regions, and have important implications for geophysical phenomena such as landslides and industrial processes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_29870
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The flow deep within granular piles
Khan, Aqib
Nott, Prabhu R
Soft Condensed Matter
Grain piles embody the complex mechanics and kinematics of disordered granular materials, including solid-like and fluid-like behaviours, complex kinematics, and preparation history-dependent stress variation. It is widely believed that the bulk of a growing pile is static and flow is confined to a thin layer at the surface, but very few studies have investigated the subsurface kinematics. Here we study the flow within conical grain piles by flow imaging experiments and particle dynamics simulations. We provide direct evidence of continuous plastic flow deep within piles as grains are poured from above, and show that the direction of flow varies smoothly from vertical at the symmetry axis to parallel to the surface at the periphery. Our findings provide new insight into the kinematics and rheology of granular media, including the nature of creep in seemingly solid-like regions, and have important implications for geophysical phenomena such as landslides and industrial processes.
title The flow deep within granular piles
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.29870