Boundary effects and self-organization in dense granular flows

Abstract

Boundary effects in gravity-driven, dense granular flows down inclined planes are studied using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the flow behavior and structure of the flowing pile changes dramatically as we vary the roughness of the supporting base. For a rough, bumpy base, there are three principal flow regimes that depend on the inclination angle θ. at small angles θ θmax, where θmax is the maximum angle for which stable, steady state flow exists, the flow is unstable; and for θr