Shapes of heaps and in silos

Experimental investigations on the shape of a heap formed in a Hele Shaw ce ll either on a flat base or in a two-dimensional silo are presented. We hav e focused our attention on the shape dependence on mass flux and initial en ergy of particles poured into the cell. Two kinds of granular media are con sidered: glass beads and sand and we shall point out their different behavi ors. We described the variations of the angle of repose and of the size of the tail as a function of the experimental parameters. We also report the t ime evolution of the angle of repose during the formation of the heap.