Particle Size Segregation in Granular Mass Flows With Different Ambient Fluids

Size segregation, which is a robust feature of sheared granular mixtures and geophysical mass flow deposits, is found to diminish in the presence of a viscous fluid. We study this inhibitive effect through coupled fluid‐particle simulations of granular flows fully immersed in different ambient fluids. Granular‐fluid mixture flows are modeled according to three distinct flow regimes—free fall, fluid inertial, and viscous—at different angles of inclination. Each flow regime corresponds to distinct flow dynamics and segregation behaviors. We find that segregation is indeed weaker and slower in the presence of an ambient fluid, which is more so as the flow becomes more viscous. The ambient fluid affects segregation in two major ways. First, buoyancy reduces the contact pressure gradients which are needed to drive large particles up, while at the same time reduces the particles' apparent weight. On the other hand, the streamwise drag force substantially changes the flow rheology, specifically the shear rate profile, thereby modifying the segregation behavior in the normal direction. Surprisingly, the fluid drag in the normal direction is negligible regardless of the fluid viscosity and does not affect segregation in a direct manner. Key Points Coupled fluid‐particle simulations show that a viscous ambient fluid slows down size segregation Ambient fluid affects segregation by reducing particle contact forces and through drag force‐induced modification of shear rate profiles Segregation velocities in different flow regimes follow a similar scaling if fluid effects are appropriately considered