| Issue |
EPJ Web Conf.
Volume 340, 2025
Powders & Grains 2025 – 10th International Conference on Micromechanics on Granular Media
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 05004 | |
| Number of page(s) | 4 | |
| Section | Polydispersity, Segregation, and Pattern Formation | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202534005004 | |
| Published online | 01 December 2025 | |
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202534005004
Oscillations of a slider dragged on a granular bed
1 Njord, University of Oslo, Norway
2 LPENSL ENS Lyon – CNRS UMR 5672, Lyon, France
* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published online: 1 December 2025
Abstract
We report on the emergence of an instability observed when a slider is slowly dragged across the surface of a granular bed in a quasistatic regime. The slider, designed in a boat-like shape, rests on the granular medium under its own weight and is free to move vertically and rotate around the pitch axis while being pulled at a constant horizontal speed. For a wide range of parameters—including mass, length, shape, and velocity—a regular pattern of peaks and troughs spontaneously forms as the slider moves forward. This instability is investigated through a combination of experiments using a conveyor belt setup and two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) simulations. Our findings reveal that the wavelength and amplitude of the pattern scale with the length of the slider. Additionally, we observe that the ripples disappear for both low and high masses, suggesting the existence of an optimal confining pressure for the instability to occur.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2025
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