Segregation Mechanisms in a Model of an Experimental Binary Granular Mixture

TL;DR

This paper develops a phenomenological model to simulate segregation in a binary granular mixture, successfully reproducing experimental transitions from mixed to segregated states and providing insights into underlying segregation mechanisms.

Contribution

The paper introduces a simple numerical model that captures the transition from mixed to segregated states in binary granular mixtures, aligning with experimental observations.

Findings

Model reproduces experimental segregation transition

Identifies key mechanisms driving segregation

Explains behavior of granular mixtures under vibration

Abstract

A simple phenomenological model of a binary granular mixture is developed and investigated numerically. We attempt to model the experimental system of [1,2] where a horizontally vibrated binary monolayer was found to exhibit a transition from a mixed to a segregated state as the filling fraction of the mixture was increased. This model is found to reproduce much of the experimentally observed behaviour, most importantly the transition from the mixed to the segregated state. We use the model to investigate granular segregation mechanisms and explain the experimentally observed behaviour.