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Experimental and numerical determination of mechanical properties of polygonal wood particles and their flow analysis in silos

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Abstract

Responding to a lack in the literature, mechanical properties of polygonal wood particles are determined for use in a discrete element model (DEM) for flow analysis in silos, and some methods are proposed for determining such parameters. The parameters arrived at here have also formed part of the input to the SPOLY software, developed in-house to compute the DEM model with spheropolyhedron elements. The model is validated using a 2D physical model, where “prismatic” particles with polygonal cross sections are placed inside a silo with variable aperture and hopper angle. Validation includes comparison of flow-rates computed by SPOLY, displacement profiles, and clogging thresholds with experimental results. The good agreement that emerges will encourage future use of miniature triaxial tests, grain-surface profilometry, inclined slope tests, and numerical analysis of the intragranular stresses—toward a direct construction of the contact-deformation relations required in realistic DEM modelling of particle flow with angular-shaped particles.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge technical support from Ross Barker and Shiao-Huey Chow in the PIV analysis of interface deformation tests. We sincerely thank David Airey, Jørgen Nielsen, and Celia Lozano Grijalba for their helpful discussions with us. FAM is supported by the CERDS funding scheme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Fernando Alonso-Marroquín, Nigel Balaam, Dorian A. H. Hanaor, E. A. Flores-Johnson, Yixiang Gan, Shumiao Chen & Luming Shen

  2. BIPREE Research Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Álvaro Ramírez-Gómez & Carlos González-Montellano

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  1. Fernando Alonso-Marroquín
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  2. Álvaro Ramírez-Gómez
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  3. Carlos González-Montellano
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  4. Nigel Balaam
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  5. Dorian A. H. Hanaor
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  6. E. A. Flores-Johnson
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  7. Yixiang Gan
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  8. Shumiao Chen
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  9. Luming Shen
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Correspondence to Fernando Alonso-Marroquín.

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Alonso-Marroquín, F., Ramírez-Gómez, Á., González-Montellano, C. et al. Experimental and numerical determination of mechanical properties of polygonal wood particles and their flow analysis in silos. Granular Matter 15, 811–826 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-013-0443-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-013-0443-7

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