arXiv subjects

Diego Maza

Publications and source records attributed to Diego Maza.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Efficient transport controlled by biharmonic frictional driving

Dry friction has been proposed as a rectifying mechanism allowing mass transport over a vibrating surface, even when vibrations are horizontal and unbiased. It has been suggested that the drift velocity will always saturate when the energy of the input oscillation increases, leading to a vanishing efficiency that would hinder the applicability of this phenomenon. Contrary to this conjecture, in this work we experimentally demonstrate that, by carefully controlling the forcing oscillations, this system can maintain a finite transport efficiency for any input energy. A minimal friction model explains the observed dependencies of the drift velocity on the signal parameters in the case of biharmonic base oscillations, which can be extended to obtain efficiency estimates for any periodic excitation.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2021

Modeling particle-fluid interaction in a coupled CFD-DEM framework

In this work, we present an alternative methodology to solve the particle-fluid interaction in the resolved CFDEM coupling framework. This numerical approach consists of coupling a Discrete Element Method (DEM) with a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) scheme, solving the motion of immersed particles in a fluid phase. As a novelty, our approach explicitly accounts for the body force acting on the fluid phase when computing the local momentum balance equations. Accordingly, we implement a fluid-particle interaction computing the buoyant and drag forces as a function of local shear strain and pressure gradient. As a benchmark, we study the Stokesian limit of a single particle. The validation is performed comparing our outcomes with the ones provided by a previous resolved methodology and the analytical prediction. In general, we find that the new implementation reproduces with very good accuracy the Stokesian dynamics. Complementarily, we study the settling terminal velocity of a sphere under confined conditions.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

Ergodic-nonergodic transition in tapped granular systems: The role of persistent contacts

Static granular packs have been studied in the last three decades in the frame of a modified equilibrium statistical mechanics that assumes ergodicity as a basic postulate. The canonical example on which this framework is tested consists in the series of static configurations visited by a granular column subjected to taps. By analyzing the response of a realistic model of grains, we demonstrate that volume and stress variables visit different regions of the phase space at low tap intensities in different realizations of the experiment. We show that the tap intensity beyond which sampling by tapping becomes ergodic coincides with the forcing necessary to break all particle-particle contacts during each tap. These results imply that the well-known "reversible" branch of tapped granular columns is only valid at relatively high tap intensities.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Experimental proof of Faster-is-Slower in multi-particle systems flowing through bottlenecks

The "faster-is-slower" (FIS) effect was first predicted by computer simulations of the egress of pedestrians through a narrow exit [Helbing D, Farkas I J, Vicsek T, Nature 407:487-490 (2000)]. FIS refers to the finding that, under certain conditions, an excess of the individuals' vigor in the attempt to exit causes a decrease in the flow rate. In general, this effect is identified by the appearance of a minimum when plotting the total evacuation time of a crowd as a function of the pedestrian desired velocity. Here, we experimentally show that the FIS effect indeed occurs in three different systems of discrete particles flowing through a constriction: (a) humans evacuating a room, (b) a herd of sheep entering a barn and (c) grains flowing out a 2D hopper over a vibrated incline. This finding suggests that FIS is a universal phenomenon for active matter passing through a narrowing.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2013

A topological method to characterize tapped granular media from the position of the particles

We use the first Betti number of a complex to characterize the morphological structure of granular samples in mechanical equilibrium. We analyze two-dimensional granular packings after a tapping process by means of both simulations and experiments. States with equal packing fraction obtained with different tapping intensities are distinguished after the introduction of a filtration parameter which determines the particles (nodes in the network) that are joined by an edge. We first use numerical simulations to characterize the effect of the precision in the particles localization by artificially adding different levels of noise in this magnitude. The outcomes obtained for the simulations are then compared with the experimental results allowing a clear distinction of experimental packings that have the same density. This is accomplished by just using the position of the particles and no other information about the possible contacts, or magnitude of forces.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2012

Flow and clogging in a silo with an obstacle above the orifice

In a recent paper [Zuriguel et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 278001 (2011)] it has been shown that the presence of an obstacle above the outlet can significatively reduce the clogging probability of granular matter pouring from a silo. The amount of this reduction strongly depends on the obstacle position. In this work, we present new measurements to analyze different outlet sizes, extending foregoing results and revealing that the effect of the obstacle is enhanced as the outlet size is increased. In addition, the effect of the obstacle position on the flow rate properties and in the geometrical features of arches is studied. These results reinforce previous evidence of the pressure reduction induced by the obstacle. In addition, it is shown how the mean avalanche size and the average flow rate are not necessarily linked. On the other hand, a close relationship is suggested between the mean avalanche size and the flow rate fluctuations.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2011

Master curves for the stress tensor invariants in stationary states of static granular beds. Implications for the thermodynamic phase space

We prepare static granular beds under gravity in different stationary states by tapping the system with pulsed excitations of controlled amplitude and duration. The macroscopic state---defined by the ensemble of static configurations explored by the system tap after tap---for a given tap intensity and duration is studied in terms of volume, V, and force moment tensor, Σ. In a previous paper [Pugnaloni et al., Phys. Rev. E 82, 050301(R) (2010)], we reported evidence supporting that such macroscopic states cannot be fully described by using only V or Σ, apart from the number of particles N. In this work, we present an analysis of the fluctuations of these variables that indicates that V and Σmay be sufficient to define the macroscopic states. Moreover, we show that only one of the invariants of Σis necessary, since each component of Σfalls onto a master curve when plotted as a function of Tr(Σ). This implies that these granular assemblies have a common shape for the stress tensor, even though it does not correspond to the hydrostatic type. Although most results are obtained by molecular dynamics simulations, we present supporting experimental results.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2011

Fluctuations of grains inside a discharging two-dimensional silo

We present experimental data corresponding to a two dimensional dense granular flow, namely, the gravity-driven discharge of grains from a small opening in a silo. We study the microscopic velocity field with the help of particle tracking techniques. From these data, the velocity profiles can be obtained and the validity of some long-standing approaches can be assessed. Moreover, the fluctuations of the velocities are taken into consideration in order to characterize the features of the advective motion (due to the gravity force) and the diffusive motion, which shows nontrivial behaviour.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2010

Towards a relevant set of state variables to describe static granular packings

We analyze, experimentally and numerically, the steady states, obtained by tapping, of a 2D granular layer. Contrary to the usual assumption, we show that the reversible (steady state branch) of the density--acceleration curve is nonmonotonous. Accordingly, steady states with the same mean volume can be reached by tapping the system with very different intensities. Simulations of dissipative frictional disks show that equal volume steady states have different values of the force moment tensor. Additionally, we find that steady states of equal stress can be obtained by changing the duration of the taps; however, these states present distinct mean volumes. These results confirm previous speculations that the volume and the force moment tensor are both needed to describe univocally equilibrium states in static granular assemblies.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2009

Role of vibrations in the jamming and unjamming of grains discharging from a silo

We present experimental results of the jamming of non-cohesive particles discharged from a flat bottomed silo subjected to vertical vibration. When the exit orifice is only a few grain diameter wide, the flow can be arrested due to the formation of blocking arches. Hence, an external excitation is needed to resume the flow. The use of a continuous gentle vibration is a usual technique to ease the flow in such situations. Even though jamming is less frequent, it is still an issue in vibrated silos. There are, in principle, two possible mechanisms through which vibrations may facilitate the flow: (i) a decrease in the probability of the formation of blocking arches, and (ii) the breakage of blocking arches once they have been formed. By measuring the time intervals inside an avalanche during which no particles flow through the outlet, we are able to estimate the probability of breaking a blocking arch by vibrations. The result agrees with the prediction of a bivariate probabilistic model in which the formation of blocking arches is equally probable in vibrated and non-vibrated silos. This indicates that the second aforementioned mechanism is the main responsible for improving the flowability in gently vibrated silos.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2007

Topological properties of the contact network of granular packings

The force networks of different granular ensembles are defined and their topological properties studied using the tools of complex networks. In particular, for each set of grains compressed in a square box, it is introduced a force threshold that determines which contacts conform the network. Hence, the topological characteristics of the network are analyzed as a function of this parameter. The characterization of the structural features thus obtained, may be useful in the understanding of the macroscopic physical behavior exhibited by this class of media.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2006

Identification of arches in 2D granular packings

We identify arches in a bed of granular disks generated by a molecular dynamic-type simulation. We use the history of the deposition of the particles to identify the supporting contacts of each particle. Then, arches are defined as sets of mutually stable disks. Different packings generated through tapping are analyzed. The possibility of identifying arches from the static structure of a deposited bed, without any information on the history of the deposition, is discussed.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2005

Jamming during the discharge of granular matter from a silo

In this work we present an experimental study of the jamming that stops the free flow of grains from a silo discharging by gravity. When the outlet size is not much bigger than the beads, granular material jams the outlet of the container due to the formation of an arch. Statistical data from the number of grains fallen between consecutive jams are presented. The information that they provide can help to understand the jamming phenomenon. As the ratio between the size of the orifice and the size of the beads is increased, the probability that an arch blocks the outlet decreases. We show here that there is a power law divergence of the mean avalanche size for a finite critical radius. Beyond this critical radius no jamming can occur and the flow is never stopped. The dependence of the arch formation on the shape and the material of the grains has been explored. It has been found that the material properties of the grains do not affect the arch formation probability. On the contrary, the shape of the grains deeply influences it. A simple model to interpret the results is also discussed.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2003

Pattern formation without heating in an evaporative convection experiment

We present an evaporation experiment in a single fluid layer. When latent heat associated to the evaporation is large enough, the heat flow through the free surface of the layer generates temperature gradients that can destabilize the conductive motionless state giving rise to convective cellular structures without any external heating. The sequence of convective patterns obtained here without heating, is similar to that obtained in Bénard-Marangoni convection. This work present the sequence of spatial bifurcations as a function of the layer depth. The transition between square to hexagonal pattern, known from non-evaporative experiments, is obtained here with a similar change in wavelength.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2003

Jamming During the Discharge of Grains from a Silo Described as a Percolating Transition

We have looked into an experiment that has been termed the ``canonical example'' of jamming: granular material, clogging the outlet of a container as it is discharged by gravity. We present quantitative data of such an experiment. The experimental control parameter is the ratio between the radius of the orifice and the radius of the beads. As this parameter is increased, the jamming probability decreases. However, in the range of parameters explored, no evidence of criticality --in the sense of a jamming probability that becomes infinitely small for a finite radius-- has been found. We draw instead a comparison with a simple model that captures the main features of the phenomenon, namely, percolation in one dimension. The model gives indeed a phase transition, albeit a special one.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗