Dynamics of granular band formation: Long-term behavior in slurries, parameter space, and tilted cylinders

Band formation (axial segregation) and subsequent coarsening of bidisperse mixtures in long circular tumblers is well documented for the case where the cylinder is at a single fill level and the interstitial fluid is air. However, little information is available for a range of fill levels, nor is the effect of rotational speed on segregation clear. Moreover just a handful of studies have focused on slurry systems, where the interstitial fluid is a liquid. This is precisely the parameter space covered in this study. Experiments are conducted using a 2:1 mixture of 882 and 272 μm glass beads with water as the interstitial fluid. Several different phenomena are uncovered. Results indicate that bands are less likely to form at low rotational speeds and low fill levels. As the fill level and rotational speed increase, more bands form and they form more quickly. However, at fill levels near 50% and high rotational speeds the bands contain a mixture of particles rather than being relatively pure. Furthermore, the evolution of the core of small beads that forms deep in the bed depends on the fill level and the rotational speed. For certain fill levels and rotational speeds, the core remains prominent as bands form, while in other cases the core disappears entirely between bands. Finally, when the tumbler is tilted so that the fill level varies from 14% at one end to slightly more than half full at the other end, the bands and core that form locally qualitatively correspond with those that would form for the corresponding fill level in a horizontal cylinder.