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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Avalanche statistics and time-resolved grain dynamics for a driven heap
A R Abate1, H Katsuragi, D J Durian
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6396, USA.
Abstract:
We probe the dynamics of intermittent avalanches caused by steady addition of grains to a quasi-two-dimensional heap. To characterize the time-dependent average avalanche flow speed v(t) , we image the top free surface. To characterize the grain fluctuation speed deltav(t) , we use speckle-visibility spectroscopy. During an avalanche, we find that the fluctuation speed is approximately one-tenth the average flow speed, deltav approximately equal to 0.1v , and that these speeds are largest near the beginning of an event. We also find that the distribution of event durations is peaked, and that event sizes are correlated with the time interval since the end of the previous event. At high rates of grain addition, where successive avalanches merge into smooth continuous flow, the relationship between average and fluctuation speeds changes to deltav approximately v(1/2) .
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