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VIP-GRAN

Vibration Induced Phenomena in GRANular media


Vip-Gran will be positioned in the MSG (Microgravity Science Glovebox).

The aim of VIP-GRAN experiment is to study the dynamics and the statistical mechanics of an ensemble of real particles that interact through collisions, i.e. ball-wall collision and ball-ball collision.

Special care is taken to study the limits of weak interaction between the balls because of their small number (Knudsen regime) and the limit of strong interaction when the mean free path between 2 balls collision is less than the cell size.

vip-gran concept

Different ball sizes will be investigated, as well as different cell shapes and cell sizes and the effect of the parameters of vibration. Attention will be paid to properties of mixing and segregation.Comparison with different limit cases will be achieved, i.e. with the dissipative billiard model and with the statistical mechanics of gas or of liquid.

Current status of development
 The bead vibration will be driven by pistons moving back and forth in a cell volume of 30x30x70 mm. The cell will be exchangeable. The maximum piston acceleration will be 10g. The main diagnostic tool will be a CCD camera. The concept is described in the image above
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