Dresden 2009 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help
DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 18: Granular matter / contact dynamics
DY 18.7: Talk
Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 18:00–18:15, HÜL 386
Granular Robots — •Zeina Khan1, Audrey Steinberger1, Ralf Seemann1,2, and Stephan Herminghaus1 — 1MPI for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Bunsenstr. 10, D-37073 Goettingen, Germany — 2Experimental Physics, Saarland University, D-66041 Saarbruecken, Germany
We have observed that when a bidisperse mixture of glass beads is moistened by a fluid and shaken sinusoidally in a vertical container, small clusters of beads take off from the surface of the pile and rapidly climb up the container walls against gravity. These self-organized clusters are held together and against the wall by liquid capillary bridges, and are led by one large grain with one or more small grains trailing behind. When similar clusters are placed on a horizontally vibrating substrate they travel horizontally along the axis of vibration. We report on various properties of this novel system, such as the clusters' speed as a function of the asymmetry of the structure and the driving acceleration. We also present a detailed analysis of the interplay between rotation and sliding in the beads' motion.