Solid structures in a highly agitated bed of granular materials

A series of experiments are described in which bubbles and solid structures are produced in a highly agitated bed of vertically shaken granular materials. To identify the physical mechanisms behind bubbling, three-dimensional simulations of the aforementioned systems are performed on a graphics processing unit (GPU). The gas dynamics above and within shaken granular materials is solved using large-eddy simulations (LES) while the dynamics of grains is described through molecular dynamics. Here, the interaction between the grain surfaces is modeled using the generalized form of contact theory developed by Hertz. In addition, the coefficient of kinetic friction is assumed to depend on the relative velocity of slipping. The results show both a qualitative and a quantitative agreement between simulations and experiments. They imply that the instantaneous formation and failure of granular aggregates could play an important role in the nucleation, growth, departure and collapse of bubbles in shaken granular materials. This promising effort in GPU computing may position the GPU as a compelling future alternative to traditional simulation techniques.