[identity profile] neowolf2.livejournal.com 2012-11-09 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
There was a seminal paper on this in Physical Review Letters.

1. Rosato, A., Strandburg, K. J., Prinz, F. & Swendsen, R. H. Why the Brazil Nuts are On Top: Size Segregation of Particulate Matter by Shaking. Physical Review Letters 58, 1038-1040 (1987).