Lateral efflux of granular materials from a container exhibiting Janssen effect

Abstract

We numerically examined the flow of granular materials from a hole on the side of an upright cylindrical container exhibiting Janssen effect. The Janssen effect is a phenomenon where the static pressure as function of depth no longer depends on filling height. We perform discrete element method (DEM) simulation of a monodisperse granular materials made of spheres (radius = 2.5 mm) discharging through a hole (radius = 20 mm) at the side of an upright vertical cylinder at varying vertical heights. We measured the mean exit velocities and maximum range of the efflux. Consistent with the saturating value of the pressure, the mean velocity and range of the efflux have a constant value of 180 mm/s and 28.7 mm, respectively, regardless of the height of the hole. These findings can have implications in our understanding and handling of punctures in granular silos.