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Impact dynamics and power-law scaling behavior of wet agglomerates

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Abstract

We investigate the impact dynamics of a single wet agglomerate composed of primary spherical particles impacting a flat plane by using three-dimensional discrete element method simulations. The primary particle is assumed to be rigid and interacted with its near-neighboring particles by introducing approximate analytical expressions of capillary cohesion forces and lubrication forces induced from the liquid in addition to their elastic and frictional interactions. The paper analyzes the mechanical strength, the deformation, and the connectivity of wet particle agglomerate during the impact as well as in its early-stage impact and the final-stage deposition. We show that the mechanical strength, deformation, and connectivity of granule strongly depend on the key parameters (the liquid–vapor surface tension, the liquid viscosity, and the impact speed of agglomerate). In particular, the early-stage strength and the height of wet agglomerate at its final-stage deposition nicely behave as a function of the Capillary–Stokes inertial number that combines the Capillary number and Stokes number, and the macroscopic strength of the agglomerate at its early-stage impact has the microscopic origin from the normal compressive forces between primary particles. These observations are consistent that represent the relationship between the rheological properties and the liquid properties and the impact conditions of wet granular materials.

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Acknowledgements

This research is funded by Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) under Grant Number 107.01-2020.24. The authors also gratefully acknowledge Prof. Ha H. Bui for his comprehensive review of this manuscript paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bridge and Road Department, Danang Architecture University, Da Nang City, Vietnam

    Thanh-Trung Vo

  2. Faculty of Vehicle and Energy Engineering, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, 12116, Vietnam

    Cuong T. Nguyen

  3. Phenikaa Research and Technology Institute (PRATI), No. 167 Hoang Ngan, Trung Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi, 11313, Vietnam

    Cuong T. Nguyen

  4. Faculty of Building and Industrial Construction, National University of Civil Engineering, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Trung-Kien Nguyen

  5. Faculty of Road and Bridge Engineering, University of Science and Technology – The University of Danang, 54 Nguyen Luong Bang Street, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City, Vietnam

    Van My Nguyen

  6. Division of Computational Mathematics and Engineering, Institute for Computational Science, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Thi Lo Vu

  7. Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Thi Lo Vu

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Vo, TT., Nguyen, C.T., Nguyen, TK. et al. Impact dynamics and power-law scaling behavior of wet agglomerates. Comp. Part. Mech. 9, 537–550 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40571-021-00427-9

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