Numerical simulation of two-dimensional steady granular flows in rotating drum: On surface flow rheology

Abstract

The rheology of two-dimensional steady surface flow of cohesionless cylinders in a rotating drum is investigated through nonsmooth contact dynamics simulations. Profiles of volume fraction, translational and angular velocity, rms velocity, strain rate, and stress tensor are measured at the midpoint along the length of the surface-flowing layer, where the flow is generally considered as steady and homogeneous. Analysis of these data and their interrelations suggest the local inertial number—defined as the ratio between local inertial forces and local confinement forces—to be the relevant dimensionless parameter to describe the transition from the quasistatic part of the packing to the flowing part at the surface of the heap. Variations of the components of the stress tensor as well as the ones of rms velocity as a function of the inertial number are analyzed within both the quasistatic and the flowing phases. Their implications are discussed.