Dr. Neil Balmforth
RESEARCH INTERESTS


Granular Flow:
    

The continuum-like mechanics of a granular media is poorly understood, but I have been enjoying it with Richard Kerswell, Jim McElwaine, Ian Hewitt and others. I spent two summers scattering glass balls and sand all over the Coastal Research Lab at Woods Hole and rotated a drum for months on end at UBC to learn something about this problem


Click to enlarge/download
Rich and Neil
Rolling
Slumping
Dambreak experiments in a granular medium (with Richard Kerswell)
(A swinging gate, suddenly drawn back, releases a pile of grit in a slot that slumps down to the right)
Drum experiments
(At faster rotation rates, there is continuous flow - rolling)
(with Jim McElwaine)
(Episodic avalanching arises for higher rotation rate - slumping)
Granular slumps
Rotating drums
Rolling on sand
mbs4.avi

Department of Mathematics / Fluid Labs / Neil Balmforth / Research Interests