A new model accurately predicts three-dimensional sand flow

A typical storage silo can hold several thousand tons of corn, seed, sawdust and other granular material. These particles funnel down through a hopper, or chute, into freight cars, which haul the material away for processing. But it's not uncommon for a chute to clog, and the only fix in many cases is for a worker to stand by the opening and break up the jam with a mallet. At other times, a worker may need to climb into the silo to loosen material from the walls—a dangerous task that can trigger a deadly avalanche.



via Phys.org: Physics News http://phys.org/news/2013-03-accurately-three-dimensional-sand.html