Experimental measurements of ripples and dunes on a granular bed

• Grant number: 19/17047-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2019
• End date: August 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Transport Phenomena
• Principal Investigator: Erick de Moraes Franklin
• Grantee: Franciane Pereira da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/14981-7 - Modeling of dense granular flows: experiments, numerical simulations and stability analyses, AP.JP2

Abstract

The transport of granular matter by a turbulent flow is commonly found in both nature and industry. In horizontal flows, granular matter is entrained as a moving layer known as bed load. Under certain conditions, the granular bed may deform, giving rise to ripples and dunes. This is an intricate problem: the rise of bed forms disturbs the fluid flow, which in its turn is the responsible for their growth. Although many studies were previously devoted to this problem, the formation and migration of sand dunes is still an open problem. This Graduate Project (Initiation Scientific) consists in experimental measurements of the formation and migration of ripples and dunes by using a high-definition camera together with an image processing code. This code will identify the formation of patterns and determine their wavelength, celerity and growth rate.