Gases, liquids and crystals in granular segregation

P. M Reis, G Ehrhardt, A Stephenson, T Mullin
2004 Europhysics letters  
We report the results of an experimental investigation of segregation in a binary mixture of dry particles subjected to horizontal oscillatory excitation. The thin layer of particles was driven by the stick--slip frictional interaction with the surface of a horizontal tray. As the packing fraction of the mixture was increased the evolution of distinct phases was observed. We identified them as a binary gas, segregation liquid and segregation crystal and provide both microscopic and macroscopic
more » ... easures to identify their properties. Finally, we draw some analogies between segregation in our granular system and self-assembly in binary colloidal mixtures.
doi:10.1209/epl/i2003-10210-4 fatcat:d6w62jivwbb4vfknmalrmkaoie