Granular clustering in a hydrodynamic simulation

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical simulations to study how granular gases develop shearing and clustering instabilities, revealing their dependence on collision inelasticity and detailing their growth and merging behavior.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the direct link between inelastic collisions and the emergence of instabilities in granular gases through hydrodynamic simulations.

Findings

Shearing and clustering instabilities are observed in simulations.

Instability onset is related to collision inelasticity.

Clusters grow and merge over time.

Abstract

We examine the hydrodynamics of a granular gas using numerical simulation. We demonstrate the appearance of shearing and clustering instabilities predicted by linear stability analysis, and show that their appearance is directly related to the inelasticity of collisions in the material. We discuss the rate at which these instabilities arise and the manner in which clusters grow and merge.