Dense granular flows: interpolating between grain inertia and fluid viscosity based constitutive laws

TL;DR

This paper develops an interpolated scalar constitutive law for dense granular flows that smoothly transitions between grain inertia and fluid viscosity regimes, enhancing understanding of flow behavior across different conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a new expression for the crossover between inertial and viscous regimes in dense granular flows, extending previous laws.

Findings

Provides a unified constitutive law covering both regimes.

Offers a mathematical expression for the transition between regimes.

Enhances modeling accuracy of dense granular flow behavior.

Abstract

A scalar constitutive law was recently obtained for dense granular flows from a two-grain argument, both in the inertial regime (grain inertia) and in the viscous regime. As the resulting law is not exactly the same in both regimes, we here provide an expression for the crossover between both regimes.