Work

Clogging of Cohesive Particles in a Two-Dimensional Hopper

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We study clogging of cohesive particles in a two-dimensional hopper with experiments and simulations. The system consists of buoyant, monodisperse oil droplets in an aqueous solution, where the droplet size, buoyant force, cohesion, and hopper opening are varied. Stronger cohesion enhances clogging, a trend confirmed in simulations. Balancing buoyant and cohesive forces defines a cohesive length scale that collapses the data onto a master curve. Thus, under strong cohesion, we find that clogging is governed not by particle diameter, but by the cohesive length scale.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/n68l-9b38

Authors: Johnathan Hoggarth, Pablo E. Illing, Eric R. Weeks, Kari Dalnoki-Veress

Institutions: McMaster University, Emory University, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, ESPCI Paris

Language: English

Topic: Granular flow and fluidized beds

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Award: Understanding microscopic dynamics in sheared highly polydisperse soft materials