Fluidization and fluctuations in granular systems

Nichol, K.M. (2011)

Doctoral Thesis

This thesis explores how rheology and statistical mechanics can be used to describe driven granular materials. Chapter 1 is an overview of the current knowledge of slow granular flows. In Chapter 2 we characterize the liquid-like behaviour of a granular system excited by flow in a split-bottom geometry. In Chapter 3 we describe the fluctuations experienced by an object floating in our granular liquid and compare these fluctuations to the Brownian motion of particles in a thermal system. In Chapter 4 we characterize the motion of objects moving in a granular system excited by oscillatory flow. Finally, in Chapter 5, we describe both the microscopic and macroscopic motion of pucks on an air hockey table. We find the the system exhibits equipartition of rotational and translational energy and that the system can be described by van der Waals' equation of state.

• Statistical mechanics
• Soft condensed matter
• Granular materials
• Granular systems
• Fluidization
• Fluctations
• Brownian motion
• Granular media

• All authors: Nichol, K.M.
• Supervisor: Hecke, M.L. van
• Committee: Eliel, E.R.; Daniels, K.; Pouliquen, O.; Oosterkamp, T.H.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Leiden Institute of Physics (LION), Faculty of Science, Leiden University
• Date: 2011-10-04
• Title of host publication: Casimir PhD Series
• ISBN (print): 9789085931058
• Name: 2011-16
• Court: LEI Universiteit Leiden