Numerical investigation of the density sorting of grains using water jigging

[Display omitted] This paper is devoted to the investigation of the density sorting of grains using water jigging. Experiments achieved in a laboratory scale water jig for two initial binary bed configurations are studied and compared to numerical results. The vertical composition of the deposit is estimated after different number of water pulses to represent the sorting evolution in time. Simulations are based on a multiscale model in which the fluid is solved at a larger scale than the grain diameter using the finite element method, while the grains are considered as rigid bodies and solved using the nonsmooth contact dynamics. Key parameters are numerically varied and observed to determine the sensitivity of the process. •Collective phenomena increase sorting rate in binary mixtures.•Density difference between the materials influences the sorting rate.•Water jigging depends on the friction between densest grains and walls.•Numerically unresolved fluid slip drives the sorting dynamics.