Rheology of three dimensional granular chute flows at large inertial numbers

TL;DR

This study investigates the time-dependent rheology of granular chute flows using 3D DEM simulations, revealing deviations from the JFP model at high inclinations and emphasizing the importance of stress anisotropy in rheological descriptions.

Contribution

The paper extends granular flow rheology by analyzing three-dimensional, time-dependent behavior and proposing modifications to existing models to include stress anisotropy effects.

Findings

Steady flows occur at higher inclinations than predicted by the JFP model.

Rheology requires a modified effective friction law.

Stress anisotropy significantly influences flow rheology.

Abstract

The inertial number-based rheology, popularly known as the JFP model, is well known for describing the rheology of granular materials in the dense flow regime. While most of the recent studies focus on the steady-state rheology of granular materials, the time-dependent rheology of such materials has received less attention. Owing to this fact, we perform three-dimensional DEM simulations of frictional inelastic spheres flowing down an inclined bumpy surface varying over a wide range of inclination angles and restitution coefficients. We show that steady, fully developed flows are possible at inclinations much higher than those predicted from the JFP model rheology. We show that, in addition to a modified effective friction law, the rheological description also needs to account for the stress anisotropy by means of a first and second normal stress difference law.