Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Collective motion of granular matter subjected to swirling excitation
Song-Chuan Zhao1, Thorsten Pöschel2
1State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, School of Aerospace Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
Abstract:
A two-dimensional granular packing under horizontally circular shaking exhibits various collective motion modes where nonuniform density distribution and correlated dynamics are present. For intermediate packing density and oscillation amplitude, a condensed phase travels around the container's side wall in the clockwise direction, while the oscillation itself is set anticlockwise. Further increasing the packing density towards that of hexagonal packing, the whole packing rotates collectively in the clockwise direction. The core of the packing rotates as a solid and is separated from the boundary by a fluid-like layer. Both motion modes are associated with the asymmetric motion of particles close to the side wall in one oscillation cycle, where the dependence of particle velocity on the local density plays a key role.
More Related Videos
11:51Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions
Published on: February 22, 2018
09:00Visualization of Failure and the Associated Grain-Scale Mechanical Behavior of Granular Soils under Shear using Synchrotron X-Ray Micro-Tomography
Published on: September 29, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Rolling Without Slipping
Motion Of A Charged Particle In A Magnetic Field
Dynamics of Circular Motion
Any acceleration must be produced by some force. Therefore, any force or combination of forces can cause centripetal acceleration. A few examples include the tension in the rope on a...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Simple Harmonic Motion and Uniform Circular Motion
There is an easy way to produce simple harmonic motion by using uniform circular motion. For instance, consider a ball attached to a uniformly rotating...
Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...