Abstract
The prediction of transient granular material flow is of fundamental industrial importance. The potential of using numerical methods in system design for increasing the operating efficiency of industrial processes involving granular material flow is huge. In the present study, a numerical tool for modelling dense transient granular material flow is presented and validated against experiments. The granular materials are modelled as continuous materials using two different constitutive models. The choice of constitutive models is made with the aim to predict the mechanical behaviour of a granular material during the transition from stationary to flowing and back to stationary state. The particle finite element method (PFEM) is employed as a numerical tool to simulate the transient granular material flow. Use of the PFEM enables a robust treatment of large deformations and free surfaces. The fundamental problem of collapsing rectangular columns of granular material is studied experimentally employing a novel approach for in-plane velocity measurements by digital image correlation. The proposed numerical model is used to simulate the experimentally studied column collapses. The model prediction of the in-plane velocity field during the collapse agrees well with experiments.
Highlights
A common aspect of various industrial processes and natural phenomena is the flow behaviour of dense granular materials
A conclusion from the present study is that the flow dynamics of the column collapse can be quantified by measuring the in-plane velocity field using digital image correlation
A numerical model, where the particle finite element method (PFEM) is used with two strain-rate-dependent constitutive models, is evaluated and compared to experimental results
Summary
A common aspect of various industrial processes and natural phenomena is the flow behaviour of dense granular materials. The lack of comprehensive theoretical models results in a low operating efficiency of industrial processes including dense granular material flow. A granular material is composed of a large number of individual particles of arbitrary size and shape. The individual particles may be of relatively simple geometrical shape, granular materials features a wide range of complex behaviours. The mechanical behaviour of a granular material is strongly dependent on the loading conditions. For quasi-static loading conditions, the behaviour is solid-like, while the behaviour of a flowing granular material typically is liquid-like [35]. The study of Division of Mechanics of Solid Materials, Luleå University of Technology, SE-97187 Luleå, Sweden
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