A disc centrifuge for the study of flow processes in cohesive granular materials

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of cohesivity on the flow of granular materials subject to radial acceleration forces. The centrifuge consists of a circular sample holder on which a miniature TV camera is mounted. The camera enables us to observe the fracture and flow of granular material deposited on the sample holder. If the material is of low cohesivity, then separate particles become detached and spin off the periphery of the sample disc as the centrifuge accelerates. If, however, the particles are highly cohesive then the particles break away in large aggregates. From the flow behavior and an independent measurement of the coefficient of friction, the cohesivity of the material under test can be calculated.