North West Seminar Series of Mathematical Biology and Data Science
Wednesday, 19th October 2022 (hosted by James Baker and Ivo Siekmann)
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Abstract: Lying on a sandy beach, perhaps gazing contentedly out to sea, you may feel grateful for the solid ground beneath you. However, get caught in a sandstorm and the gas-like attack of the hard grains will likely be no fun at all. Between these extremes is the fluid-like flow of granular materials. These flows are sometimes convenient, like when we pour cereal into a bowl for breakfast, but they also underpin the dynamics of devastating geophysical hazards such as debris avalanches. To build models for the reliable and accurate prediction of these large-scale events, continuum theories have been in development since at least the 18th century. Unlike the study of liquids, the constitutive relations for granular materials are still far from tied down. The correct inclusion of the grain properties and the correct mathematical formulation of their dynamics continue to inspire much innovation. Here I’ll focus on the gravity-driven flow of grains in a vertical chute to illustrate both the difficulties and recent progress.
