Sphere penetration by impact in a granular medium: A collisional process

Abstract

The penetration by a gravity driven impact of a solid sphere into a granular\nmedium is studied by two-dimensional simulations. The scaling laws observed\nexperimentally for both the final penetration depth and the stopping time with\nthe relevant physical parameters are here recovered numerically without the\nconsideration of any solid friction. Collisional processes are thus found as\nessential in explaining the physics of the qualitatively observed phenomena\nwhereas frictional processes can only be considered as secondary effects in the\ngranular penetration by impact.\n