Brazil nut effect in a rectangular plate under horizontal vibration

Abstract

An intruder to a group of identical small beads enclosed in a rectangular plate will gradually migrate to either the center or one side of the plate when the plate is subjected to a horizontal vibration. By considering probabilities for a bead to move into and off the space between the intruder and the near side of the plate, we predict that the size ratio and the mass ratio of the intruder to small bead have equal but opposite effects in determining the direction of migration. The prediction is confirmed by a molecular dynamics simulation. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.