Asymmetric collapse and two-dimensional spreading of a binary granular column

Abstract

Granular materials can be used to model real world systems such as landslides, avalanches and mudflows. Works on granular materials often focus on the properties that make up a stable pile, allowing us to obtain a desirable structure for these systems. In this work, a binary mixture of granular materials is made to flow freely along an area, and the maximum distance the particles reach is recorded. Our results show that the maximum distance travelled by the sago particles decreases significantly for different mass proportions, γ, of the sago-starch ensemble. We derive an analytic solution using energy considerations to relate the dimensions of the inclined heap left inside the container and the maximum distance travelled by a particle of one component (sago). The analytic formulation agrees well with our experimental data. Our results can be used as a tool in determining the extent of soil movement in landslide prone areas.