Surface flows of granular materials: A short introduction to some recent models
Résumé
We present a short review of recent theoretical descriptions of flows occuring at the surface of granular piles, and focus mainly on two models: the phenomenological ``BCRE\'\' model and the hydrodynamic model, based on Saint-Venant equations. Both models distinguish a ``static phase\'\' and a ``rolling\'\' phase inside the granular packing and write coupled equations for the evolutions of the height of each of these phases, which prove similar in both approaches. The BCRE description provides a very intuitive picture of the flow, whereas the Saint-Venant hydrodynamic description establishes a general and rigorous framework for granular flow studies.