Dynamics of dry granular avalanches

A fine analysis of the statistics of dry granular avalanches in a rotating drum setup reveals that, beyond the fluctuations, the angle at which an avalanche ends is correlated experimentally to the angle at which the avalanche starts. This correlation resulting from inertia defines an intermediate "neutral" angle that characterizes the corresponding granular pile. In addition, an intensive study of the dynamics of the avalanche shows that the time duration of the avalanche is correlated to its amplitude, being smaller for higher amplitude. The time relaxation of the pile slope during any avalanche, governed by the deviation of the starting angle from the neutral angle, follows a master curve. A simple model recovers most of the results and contributes to a better understanding of the physics of the avalanche flow.