Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling
Published on: August 5, 2016
Relevance of numerical simulations to booming sand
Patrick Richard1, Sean McNamara, Merline Tankeo
1Institut de Physique de Rennes, Université de Rennes I, UMR CNRS 6251, F-35042 Rennes, France.
Abstract:
We have performed a simulation study of three-dimensional cohesionless granular flows down an inclined chute. We find that the oscillations observed in [L. E. Silbert, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 098002 (2005)] near the angle of repose are harmonic vibrations of the lowest normal mode. Their frequencies depend on the contact stiffness as well as on the depth of the flow. Could these oscillations account for the phenomena of "booming sand"? We estimate an effective contact stiffness from the Hertz law, but this leads to frequencies that are several times higher than observed. However, the Hertz law also predicts interpenetrations of a few nanometers, indicating that the oscillations frequencies are governed by the surface stiffness, which can be much lower than the bulk one. This is in agreement with previous studies ascribing the ability to sing to the presence of a soft coating on the grain surface.
Related Concept Videos
Typical Model Studies
Numerical Calculations
The solution to a problem is obtained using different methods. While manually solving algebraic symbols is one of the most common methods, the graphical method is often preferred. Computers...
Modeling and Similitude
Estimation of the Physical Quantities

