Deflection of Granular Jets

The researchers will consider the deflection of granular jets by fixed rigid objects. This is extremely important in numerous industrial processes in which streams of rapidly moving particles must be deflected. Typically these systems are extremely complicated and obtaining a detailed understanding gives rise to a number of extremely challenging problems. The researchers will perform careful simulations that track the motions of individual particles and determine the effective force on the barrier and characterize the degree of scattering that particles experience. The researchers will also develop a theory for dilute particle systems that makes detailed theoretical analysis feasible. This will allow the researchers to determine the important physical mechanisms and gain a solid understanding of the underlying processes. This will have major importance for understanding design criteria for deflection barriers and a broad range of industrial equipment.