Sphere penetration by impact in a granular medium: A collisional process

摘要

The penetration by a gravity-driven impact of a solid sphere into a granular medium is studied by two-dimensional simulations. The scaling laws observed experimentally for both the final penetration depth and the stopping time with the relevant physical parameters are here recovered numerically without the consideration of any microscopic solid friction but with dissipative collisions only. Dissipative collisional processes are thus found as essential in catching the penetration dynamics in granular matter whereas microscopic frictional processes can only be considered as secondary effects.