In-vitro-dynamics of shaken beads


It is well known that energy dissipation and non linear interactions can deeply affect the dynamics of granular matter, often making usual hydrodynamic approaches problematic. Here we report on the experimental investigation of a model system, made of some beads constrained into a 1-d geometry by a narrow vertical pipe and shaken at the base by a piston exited by a periodic wave. Although similar systems have been the subject of several studies from the theoretical and numerical point of view, very few experimental instances exist. Recording the beads motion with high frame rate camera allows to investigate in detail the microscopic dynamics, yielding useful information to improve the hydrodynamic description.