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Pattern formation

Instabilities in sand ripples

Nature volume 410, page 324 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Sand ripples are seen below shallow wavy water and are formed whenever water oscillates over a bed of sand. Here we analyse the instabilities that can upset this perfect patterning when the ripples are subjected to large changes in driving amplitude or frequency, causing them to deform both parallel and transverse to their crests. Our results reveal new pattern-forming instabilities in granular matter exposed to fluid flow with strong vorticity.

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Figure 1: Patterns obtained by changing the driving parameters for a tray of sand oscillating in a water tank.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark

    Jonas Lundbek Hansen, Martin van Hecke, Anders Haaning & Clive Ellegaard

  2. Danish Defense Research Establishment, Ryvangs allé 1, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark

    Jonas Lundbek Hansen & Thomas Sams

  3. ISVA, Danish Technical University, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark

    Ken Haste Andersen

  4. Physics Institute, Danish Technical University, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark

    Tomas Bohr

Authors
  1. Jonas Lundbek Hansen
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  2. Martin van Hecke
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  3. Anders Haaning
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  4. Clive Ellegaard
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  5. Ken Haste Andersen
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  6. Tomas Bohr
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  7. Thomas Sams
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tomas Bohr.

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Lundbek Hansen, J., van Hecke, M., Haaning, A. et al. Instabilities in sand ripples. Nature 410, 324 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35066631

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