Dynamics of drag and force distributions for projectile impact in a granular medium

Our experiments and molecular dynamics simulations on a projectile penetrating a two-dimensional granular medium reveal that the mean deceleration of the projectile is constant and proportional to the impact velocity. Thus, the time taken for a projectile to decelerate to a stop is independent of it...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2004-05, Vol.92 (19), p.194301-194301, Article 194301
Main Authors: Pica Ciamarra, Massimo, Lara, Antonio H, Lee, Andrew T, Goldman, Daniel I, Vishik, Inna, Swinney, Harry L
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Our experiments and molecular dynamics simulations on a projectile penetrating a two-dimensional granular medium reveal that the mean deceleration of the projectile is constant and proportional to the impact velocity. Thus, the time taken for a projectile to decelerate to a stop is independent of its impact velocity. The simulations show that the probability distribution function of forces on grains is time independent during a projectile's deceleration in the medium. At all times the force distribution function decreases exponentially for large forces.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.92.194301