Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Interstitial gas and density segregation of vertically vibrated granular media
1Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Abstract:
We report experimental studies of the effect of interstitial gas on mass-density segregation in a vertically vibrated mixture of equal-sized bronze and glass spheres. Sufficiently strong vibration in the presence of interstitial gas induces vertical segregation into sharply separated bronze and glass layers. We find that the segregated steady state (i.e., bronze or glass layer on top) is a sensitive function of gas pressure and viscosity, as well as vibration frequency and amplitude. In particular, we identify distinct regimes of behavior that characterize the change from bronze-on-top to glass-on-top steady state.
Related Concept Videos
Segregation in Fresh Concrete
Bulk Density of Aggregate
Most natural mineral aggregates, like sand and gravel,...
Density
Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion
Specific Gravity of Aggregate
Bulk or gross specific gravity is calculated by taking the ratio of the mass of aggregates in the saturated surface-dry state to the total volume that includes both the solids and the voids within the...
Total Voids in Concrete

