Vibration Induced Phenomena in Granular Media in Microgravity

Abstract

In order to study the dynamical behavior and the handling properties of granular materials under microgravity conditions, ESA is developing the VIP-Gran instrument whose multiple functionalities allow for the study of Vibration Induced Phenomena in Granular media in low gravity. Here, we present an overview of VIP-Gran’s evolution, from the original idea to the latest encouraging and fascinating results. At first, we give a description of the instrument and the different investigated topics. Then, we present numerical simulations that we performed in order to prepare our experiments and tackle fundamental questions concerning granular gases. Finally, we give an insight on the first experimental results from parabolic flight campaigns and confront them with preliminary works and theoretical models.