Coupling of rheology and segregation in spatially developing non-periodic chutes

Determine whether an analogous two-way coupling between rheology and segregation governs the spatial development of segregation and flow along a non-periodic granular chute.

Background

Prior particle-force-based continuum studies successfully described density- and size-driven segregation in periodic chute flows, where streamwise periodicity suppresses explicit evolution from inlet to outlet. Those studies also indicated that rheology and segregation are intercoupled during transient evolution in periodic systems.

The paper identifies as unresolved whether this coupling persists when segregation and flow develop spatially along a long, non-periodic chute. Resolving this question is important because streamwise gradients may influence both the velocity field and segregation evolution. The present work investigates this issue for long chutes without sidewalls, but the quoted passage introduces the unresolved question as the motivation for the study.