Lie group symmetry analysis for granular media stress equations (Q705302)

After the summarizing of the basic continuum mechanics equations for two-dimensional flow of Coulomb-Mohr granular materials and the derivation of the governing partial differential equation \[ \psi_{xy}^2=\psi_{xx}\psi_{xy}+\rho gy\psi_{yy}-\tfrac{1}{4}(\psi_{xx}+\psi_{yy}+\rho gy)^2\cos^2\varphi \] (\(\varphi\) is the angle of internal friction) for the Airy stress function \(\psi(x,y)\) the authors use the Lie point symmetries admitted by this equation for the construction of the optimal system of group-invariant solutions. Three equivalence classes of solutions are found, examples from which can be used to the description of flow down an inclusion, flow between contracting vertical walls and flow through a converging wedge. In the limit case \(\varphi=\frac\pi2\) this nonlinear differential equation admits larger Lie point symmetries and the optimal system contains nine equivalence classes of group-invariant solutions, all of them can be derived exactly by solving the corresponding nonlinear differential equations. Most of the last solutions are new. For the granular flows without gravity effects (\(g=0\)) the group transformations admitted by the nonlinear equation are determined and the optimal system of group-invariant solutions is also constructed.