Abstract
Using the Connected Lattice Automaton (CL-CA) model, which has been specially developed for the analysis of granular materials, some pattern formations in vibrating granular media are demonstrated. In the CL-CA model, polygon particles are set on triangular lattice and the mechanical properties are less important. The dynamics of the motion of a particle is described by some simple automaton rules. Heaping, size segregation and convective motion can be seen in the simulation. Such pattern formations have been found in physical experiments. Therefore, geometrical properties of each particle and its combined geometry are key factors in the understanding such complex nonlinear phenomena for granular media.
