Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions
Published on: February 22, 2018
Transverse instability of avalanches in granular flows down an incline
Igor S Aranson1, Florent Malloggi, Eric Clément
1Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
Abstract:
Avalanche experiments on an erodible substrate are analyzed using the "partial fluidization" model of dense granular flows. The model identifies a family of propagating solitonlike avalanches with shape and velocity controlled by the inclination angle and the depth of the substrate. At high inclination angles, the solitons display a transverse instability, followed by coarsening and fingering similar to recent experimental observation. A primary cause for the transverse instability is directly related to the dependence of the soliton velocity on the granular mass trapped in the avalanche.
Related Concept Videos
Microtubule Instability
Design Example: Designing Water Slide
Bernoulli's principle determines the water's velocity along the slide.
Upward Impending Motion
To better comprehend how a screw jack functions, consider the completely unraveled thread as a block in contact with the...
Free-body Diagrams: Problem Solving
For example, consider a block with a mass of 10 kg released on an inclined plane at an angle of 30° to the horizontal, where the...
Work Done Over an Inclined Plane
The work done by gravity to move a rigid body, or the work done by an opposing force to move a rigid body against gravity, can be calculated using the center-of-mass framework. It is the line integral of the force of gravity over the path, considered positive if...
Tangent Planes to Level Surfaces

