Numerical investigation of the vertical plunging force of a spherical intruder into a granular bed

The plunging of a large sphere into a prefluidized granular bed with various constant velocities is investigated using a state-of-theart hybrid Discrete Particle and Immersed Boundary Method (DPIBM), with which both the gas-induced drag force and the contact force exerted on the intruder can be investigated separately. Our simulation method has been validated by comparison with the existing experimental results. Current simulation results show a concave-to-convex plunging force as a function of depth and in the concave region the force fits to a power-law with exponent around 1.3, which is in good agreement with existing experimental observations