Forces on a saltating grain in air
Zhen-Ting Wang1,2, Chun-Lai Zhang1, and Hong-Tao Wang2
1 State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, P.R. China;
2 Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, P.R. China.
Abstract: A wind tunnel experiment was performed to measure the trajectories of individual sand grains. Then, the acceleration given by the numerical differentiation was used to assess the relative importance of different external forces on a saltating sand grain in air. It is reconfirmed that the gravitational force and drag are the most important to grain motion. The lift also has certain influence. However, the present research does not support that the electrostatic force is significant.
Published in The European Physical Journal E. 2013, 36: 112(1-5).
