A molecular dynamics simulation of segregation behaviours of horizontally vibrated binary granular mixture

Abstract

This paper performs the two-dimensional, soft-sphere molecular dynamics simulations to study the granular segregation in a binary granular mixture with the same size but different density in the container with the sawtooth base under horizontal vibration. The segregation phase diagram is presented in the acceleration-frequency space. When the acceleration is high enough to result in relative motions of the particles, the system can be in various states (mixed state, vertical and horizontal segregation state), which depend on both acceleration and frequency. Due to the sawtooth base there is stratified flow effect besides density effect. The density effect raises the light particles. The stratified flow drives the particles in the upper levels to the right and the particles in the lower particles to the left, resulting in the appearance of the left segregation state. The left segregation state can be changed to the right segregation by changing the shape of the sawtooth. As the vibration frequency increases, the stratified flow effect becomes weaker and weaker, so at high vibration frequencies the vertical segregation state appears instead of the left segregation state.