Abstract:
Granular materials are usually defined to be a collection of large number of discrete, dissipative,
solid particles, which are ubiquitous in nature. They are one of the most used materials in
the real world after water, and are of substantial importance in many industrial and natural
processes [Campbell (1990); Jaeger et al. (1992); Ottino & Khakhar (2000); Goldhirsch (2003);
Rao & Nott (2008); Forterre & Pouliquen (2008); Umbanhowar (2003)] such as agriculture,
energy production, storms, avalanche, etc. They are so prevalent in the world that we eat them
(rice, food grains), drink them (pharmaceutical powders), some times breathe them (dust), use
them as cosmetics, and play with them (sand, snow) in our daily life. Granular materials play a
very important role in many industrial processes because almost every industry (food industry,
agriculture industry, chemical industry, construction industry, and pharmaceutical industry,
etc.) relies on the bulk transport of granular materials such as sand, cement, coal, crushed
stones, food grains, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, etc [Jaeger et al. (1992)].
