On the Shape of the Tail of a Two Dimensional Sand Pile

Abstract

We study the shape of the tail of a heap of granular material. A simple theoretical argument shows that the tail adds a logarithmic correction to the slope given by the angle of repose. This expression is in good agreement with experiments. We present a cellular automaton that contains gravity, dissipation and surface roughness and its simulation also gives the predicted shape.Comment: LaTeX file 4 pages, 4 PS figures, also available at http://pmmh.espci.fr