Creeping motion in granular flow

The core of a quasi-two-dimensional rotating cylinder filled more than half full with glass beads rotates slightly faster than the cylinder itself and decreases in radius over time. Core precession depends linearly on the number of tumbler revolutions while core erosion varies logarithmically. Both processes serve to quantify the slow granular motion in the “fixed” bed and depend on the filling fraction and the tumbler rotation rate. A simple model, based on experimental observations of an exponential decrease in velocity parallel to the free surface, captures the primary features of the core dynamics.