Abstract
Screening techniques have been widely deployed in industrial production for the size-separation of granular materials such as coal. The elliptical vibrating screen has been regarded as an excellent screening apparatus in terms of its high screening efficiency and large processing capacity. However, its fundamental mechanisms and operational principles remain poorly understood. In this paper, the sieving process of an elliptical vibrating screen was numerically simulated based on the discrete element method (DEM), and an approach coupling the DEM and the finite element method (DEM–FEM) was introduced to further explore the collision impact of materials on the screen deck. The screening time, screening efficiency, maximum stress and maximum deformation were examined for the evaluation of sieving performance. The effects of six parameters—length of the semi-major axis, length ratio between two semi-axes, vibration frequency, inclination angle, vibration direction angle and vibration direction—on different sieving results were systematically investigated in univariate and multivariate experiments. Additionally, the relationships among the four performance indexes were discussed and the relational functions were obtained. The conclusions and methodologies presented in this work could be of great significance for the design and improvement of elliptical vibrating screens.
Highlights
Particulate and granular materials such as coal, cereals and tablets are ubiquitous in natural environments and industrial engineering
The screening processes of an elliptical vibrating screen under various parameter conditions were numerically investigated based on discrete element method (DEM), and the metal fatigue phenomena were conditions were numerically investigated based on DEM, and the metal fatigue phenomena were further explored according to the DEM and the finite element method (DEM–finite element method (FEM)) coupling approach
Six technical parameters of the screen further explored according to the DEM–FEM coupling approach
Summary
Particulate and granular materials such as coal, cereals and tablets are ubiquitous in natural environments and industrial engineering. The vibrating screen is considered an effective screening apparatus, usually classifying granular materials according to their size, and has been extensively adopted in mineral production. Screening efficiency and processing capacity are the two crucial indexes for the evaluation of sieving performance. An increasing number of researchers commenced numerical investigations of the sieving process of vibrating screens based on DEM. One of the most efficient and time-saving methods is the Taguchi orthogonal design, a widespread experimental technique, introduced for the parameter optimization of linear and circular vibrating screens [14,18]. The sieving processes of an elliptical vibrating screen with various technical parameters was numerically simulated based on DEM. The effects of sieving parameters on the performance indexes were discussed in single-factor experiments and orthogonal experiments
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