arXiv subjects

E. M. Franklin

Publications and source records attributed to E. M. Franklin.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Intruder dynamics in granular media under localized surface loading

We experimentally investigate the dynamics of a spherical intruder driven horizontally at a constant force in a granular medium subjected to a localized surface overload. While intruder motion beneath a free surface exhibits constant acceleration in the quasistatic regime, the presence of a surface load induces a pronounced transient deceleration when the intruder passes below the loaded region. The magnitude of this deceleration increases with the applied overload and saturates at large overloads, while it decreases with intruder depth. Introducing a characteristic timescale and an overload-based Froude number, we show that the deceleration dynamics collapse onto master curves. We further develop a model incorporating stress transmission from the surface, which partially captures the intruder deceleration. In this approach, this deceleration is shown to depend on two parameters: the overload and the area on which this overload is applied. These results provide a framework to quantify how localized surface stresses influence subsurface intruder dynamics, with implications for locomotion, root growth, and underground transport in granular media.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Drag reduction during the side-by-side motion of a pair of intruders in a granular medium

When several intruders move in a granular medium, coupling effects are observed, the motion of one intruder affecting that of others. In this paper, we investigate experimentally how the drag forces acting on a pair of spherical intruders moving amid grains at constant velocity vary with the transverse separation between them and their depth. When intruders are sufficiently far apart, they do not influence each other, and the average drag felt by each of them matches that of a single intruder. However, for small distances between intruders and at a given depth, the average drag per intruder decreases, highlighting a collaborative effect that facilitates motion. This collaboration effect is amplified when the depth of the intruders increases. We propose a model for the drag reduction of a pair of intruders based on the breakup of contact chains, caused by the perturbation generated by the neighbor intruder. Our findings provide new insights into the interaction effects on the motion of solids in sand, such as those observed in animal locomotion, root growth, and soil survey.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Penetration of a spinning sphere impacting a granular medium

We investigate experimentally the influence of rotation on the penetration depth of a spherical projectile impacting a granular medium. We show that a rotational motion significantly increases the penetration depth achieved. Moreover, we model our experimental results by modifying the frictional term of the equation describing the penetration dynamics of an object in a granular medium. In particular, we find that the frictional drag decreases linearly with the velocity ratio between rotational (spin motion) and translational (falling motion) velocities. The good agreement between our model and our experimental measurements offers perspectives for estimating the depth that spinning projectiles reach after impacting onto a granular ground, such as happens with seeds dropped from aircraft or with landing probes.

cond-mat.soft↗