Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Granular media

Structures in sand streams

An ingenious experiment that involves dropping a costly, high-speed video camera from a height of several metres reveals how free-falling streams of granular matter, such as sand, break up into grain clusters.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Rupture of streams.

a, CAMBRIDGE UNIV. PRESS; b, AM. PHYS. SOC.

References

  1. Lohse, D. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 198003 (2004).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Jaeger, H. M., Nagel, S. R. & Behringer, R. P. Rev. Mod. Phys. 68, 1259–1273 (1996).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kadanoff, L. Rev. Mod. Phys. 71, 435–444 (1999).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Goldhirsch, I. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 35, 267–293 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Royer, J. R. et al. Nature 459, 1110–1113 (2009).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. de Gennes, P.-G., Brochard-Wyart, F. & Quere, D. Capillarity and Wetting Phenomena: Drops, Bubbles, Pearls, Waves (Springer, 2003).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Duran, J. Sands, Powders, and Grains 1st edn (Springer, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Moseler, M. & Landman, U. Science 289, 1165–1169 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Johansen, A. et al. Nature 448, 1022–1025 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Rutland, D. F. & Jameson, G. J. J. Fluid Mech. 46, 267–271 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lohse, D., van der Meer, D. Structures in sand streams. Nature 459, 1064–1065 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/4591064a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4591064a

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing