Numerical simulation of vibrated granular gases under realistic boundary conditions

A variant of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method is used to study the behavior of a granular gas, in two and three dimensions, under varying density, restitution coefficient, and inelasticity regimes, for realistic vibrating wall conditions. Our results agree quite well with recent experimental data. We study the effect of wall-particle and particle-particle inelasticity and particle density on the granular distributions of velocities and some of their moments. The behavior of state functions, such as pressure, is also discussed. We observed, upon a density increase, the signals of a clustering transition. The role of the energy injection mechanism is discussed, as well as the behavior of state-functions, such as pressure, under realistic boundary conditions. Upon a density increase, we find signals of a clustering transition. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.