Department of Physics Papers
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
3-2011
Publication Source
Physical Review E
Volume
83
Issue
3
Start Page
031303-1
Last Page
031303-8
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevE.83.031303
Abstract
We report on the erosion of flat linoleum “pebbles” under steady rotation in a slurry of abrasive grit. To quantify shape as a function of time, we develop a general method in which the pebble is photographed from multiple angles with respect to the grid of pixels with a digital camera. This reduces digitization noise and allows the local curvature of the contour to be computed with a controllable degree of uncertainty. Several shape descriptors are then employed to follow the evolution of different initial shapes toward a circle, where abrasion halts. The results are in good quantitative agreement with a simple model, where we propose that points along the contour move radially inward in proportion to the product of the radius and the derivative of radius with respect to angle.
Copyright/Permission Statement
© 2011 American Physical Society. You can view the original article at: https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.83.031303
Recommended Citation
Roth, A. E., Marques, C. M., & Durian, D. J. (2011). Abrasion of Flat Rotating Shapes. Physical Review E, 83 (3), 031303-1-031303-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.83.031303
Date Posted: 13 October 2017
This document has been peer reviewed.