DYNAMIC SHEAR OF ANTIGRANULOCYTES MATERIAL UNDER VARIABLE GRAVITY CONDITIONS

THE purpose of this synoptic is to describe some simple experiments with granular materials that have been recently conducted on the NASA KC-135 aircraft during variable-gravity maneuvers. A small drum containing granular material was slowly rotated while the angle assumed by the slip surface was photographically recorded. Conventional wisdom has held that this “dynamic angle of repose” is a material constant, independent of gravitational level. The results presented here are contrary, suggesting instead an angle that varies with the reciprocal of the square root of gravity. This finding may have important consequences on the understanding of the particle physics of many active granular processes occurring in nonterrestrial gravity and may provide qualitative confirmation of some of the theoretical predictions of modern models of granular shear flows. © 1990 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., All rights reserved.