Vibration Induced Directed Transport of Particles

Abstract

This paper reports a study on directed transport of a particle over a flat horizontal rigid plate vibrating asymmetrically in its plane. A friction model with both dry and viscous friction terms has been considered. Nonlinear frictional interaction between the particle and the plate, and asymmetry in the vibrations of the plate are essential for the transport process. Two kinds of asymmetry, namely spatial asymmetry, and temporal asymmetry in the plate vibrations have been considered. The mechanism of transport and the transport properties for both kinds of input motion have been clearly brought out. Three nondimensional parameters are found to characterize the transport properties. Two energy metrics have been defined to study and understand the efficiency of the transport process.