Feeding of granular material on conveyer bands or chutes

The flux properties and the inclination angle at which granular material on inclined planes starts to slide are strongly influenced by the boundary co nditions, such as the continuous supply of material at the upper surface or the vibration of the bottom. Johnson et al. [P.C. Johnson, P. Nott, R. Jac kson, J. Fluid Mech. 210 (1990) 501-535.] established a theory based on the equations of motion for granular flow down inclined chutes with a noneffec ted free surface. We modified the boundary conditions to take into account energy and momentum transfer at the upper surface but we disregarded the su pply of mass. The numerical results are compared with measurements taken fr om a high-speed video film. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reser ved.