Pattern formation during air injection into granular materials confined in a circular Hele-Shaw cell

We investigate the dynamics of granular materials confined in a radial Hele-Shaw cell, during central air injection. The behavior of this granular system, driven by its interstitial fluid, is studied both experimentally and numerically. This allows us to explore the associated pattern formation process, characterize its features and dynamics. We classify different hydrodynamic regimes as function of the injection pressure. The numerical model takes into account the interactions between the granular material and the interstitial fluid, as well as the solid-solid interactions between the grains and the confining plates. Numerical and experimental results are comparable, both to reproduce the hydrodynamical regimes experimentally observed, as well as the dynamical features associated to fingering and compacting. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.