Collective Drifts in Vibrated Granular Packings: The Interplay of Friction and Structure

We simulate vertically shaken dense granular packings with horizontal periodic boundary conditions. A coordinated translating motion of the whole medium emerges when the horizontal symmetry is broken by disorder or defects in the packing and the shaking is weak enough to conserve the structure. We argue that such a drift originates in the interplay between structural symmetry breaking and frictional forces transmitted by the vibrating plate. A nonlinear ratchet model with stick slips reproduces many faces of the phenomenon. The collective motion discussed here underlies phenomena observed recently with vibrofluidized granular materials, such as persistent rotations and anomalous diffusion.

Automated summary

We conduct simulations on vertically shaken dense granular packings with horizontal periodic boundary conditions. We find that a coordinated translating motion of the whole medium emerges when the horizontal symmetry is broken by disorder or defects in the packing and the shaking is weak enough to conserve the structure. We suggest that this drift arises from the interplay between structural symmetry breaking and frictional forces transmitted by the vibrating plate. A nonlinear ratchet model with stick slips is able to replicate many aspects of this phenomenon. The collective motion discussed here underlies phenomena observed recently with vibrofluidized granular materials, such as persistent rotations and anomalous diffusion.