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https://theconversation.com/for-the-first-time-scientists-observed-the-hidden-swirls-that-affect-the-flow-of-sand-rocks-and-snow-262959>
"What looks like ordinary sand, rocks or snow flowing in one direction can
actually hide swirling currents that move in multiple directions beneath the
surface.
When grains move in a landslide, most follow the steepest downhill path. This
is the “primary flow”, where particles largely follow the herd. But some grains
move sideways or swirl in hidden patterns, forming “secondary flows” that
subtly influence how far and fast the material travels.
Understanding how grains move beneath the surface could help explain the
physics of avalanches and landslides, and even improve how we handle everyday
materials like wheat in silos or powders in pharmaceuticals.
However, nobody has been able to observe these hidden swirls – until now. In a
study published in
Nature Communications today, we have captured secondary
flows inside granular materials for the first time with our advanced X-ray
imaging setup."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
