Convection in vertically vibrated granular materials

This paper briefly reviews some recent experiments in which we were able to measure the flow patterns of granular materials within a vertically vibrat ed container. The measurement methods include the use both of tracer beads to measure the vertical velocity along the centre of the container, and mag netic-resonance imaging to study the velocity profile in the radial directi on. Most of the work concerns containers with vertical walls, although some results are mentioned that deal with convection in containers with walls t hat were splayed outwards.