Statistical Mechanics of Clogging

Arch Set of mutually stabilizing particles, meaning that if any one of them is removed the whole set will collapse. Clogging Halt of the flow of macroscopic particles caused by the development of a local structure (an arch in two dimensions or a dome in three) which brings the whole system to a rest state. Granular matter Material composed of independent, macroscopic particles that interact solely by contacts or collisions. As the latter are intrinsically dissipative, energy is not conserved, and therefore, the system typically adopts metastable configurations. Granular Silo Container in which granular matter is stored. The emptying of silos is generally performed through an orifice at the bottom, although other alternatives (such as the discharge through lateral orifices or by means of extraction belts) are also possible. Unclogging Destabilization of a clogging arch by means of an energy input which must be external for the case of inert granular media, but can be also internal for other systems such as active matter.