Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
09:13
Plasmonic Trapping and Release of Nanoparticles in a Monitoring Environment
Published on: April 4, 2017
Local jamming via penetration of a granular medium
M B Stone1, R Barry, D P Bernstein
1Department of Physics and Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA. schiffer@phys.psu.edu
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|December 17, 2004
Summary
The penetration force in granular media is influenced by the bottom boundary, even far above it. An intrinsic length scale of jamming depends on plate size and stress, not velocity or grain size.
Area of Science:
- Granular physics
- Material science
- Mechanical engineering
Background:
- Understanding granular material behavior is crucial in various fields.
- The influence of boundaries on granular flow and mechanics is complex.
- Previous studies often overlook detailed boundary effects in dense granular media.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of vessel bottom boundary properties on penetration forces in dense granular media.
- To identify and characterize the intrinsic length scale of granular jamming near a boundary.
- To determine the factors influencing this length scale.
Main Methods:
- Vertical penetration experiments using a flat plate in a dense granular medium.
- Systematic variation of bottom boundary surface properties.
- Measurement of penetration forces and analysis of jamming phenomena.
Main Results:
- Penetration force is significantly affected by bottom boundary surface properties, extending many grain diameters away.
- An intrinsic length scale for localized jamming was identified.
- This length scale exhibits a square root dependence on plate radius and ambient granular stress.
Conclusions:
- The vessel bottom boundary plays a critical role in granular penetration mechanics, even at a distance.
- A quantifiable length scale characterizes the interaction between the plate, medium, and boundary.
- The jamming length scale is governed by geometric (plate radius) and stress factors, but not by dynamic (velocity) or material (grain size) factors.
