Reverse buoyancy in a vibrated granular bed: Computer simulations.

We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of an intruder in a vibrated granular bed including interstitial fluid effects to account for the phenomenon of reverse buoyancy. We show that our model is able to reproduce the overall behaviour observed by previous experimental works and is the first finite-elements simulation to show the sinking of intruders lighter than the granular bed. To further advance our comprehension of this phenomenon, we studied the motion of the intruders in a single vibration cycle with respect to the bottom of the granular column, finding a substantial qualitative difference for heavy and light intruders and we compare these results with experiments using fine-sized glass beads.

Three-dimensional simulations of a vertically vibrated granular bed including interstitial air.

We present a numerical study of the effect of interstitial air on a vertically vibrated granular bed within one period of oscillation. We use a three-dimensional molecular-dynamics simulation including air phenomenologically. The simulations are validated with experiments made with spherical glass beads in a rectangular container.

Molecular-dynamics simulation of two-dimensional thermophoresis.

A numerical technique is presented for the thermal force exerted on a solid particle by a gaseous medium between two flat plates at different temperatures, in the free molecular or transition flow. This is a two-dimensional molecular-dynamics simulation of hard disks in a inhomogeneous thermal environment. All steady-state features exhibited by the compressible hard-disk gas are shown to be consistent with the expected behaviors.