Influence of mechanical properties on mixing and segregation of granular material

TL;DR

This study uses DEM simulations to explore how mechanical properties like friction, density, and elasticity affect mixing and segregation in granular materials, highlighting the dominant role of friction.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the influence of mechanical properties, especially dynamic friction, on segregation behavior in stirred granular beds.

Findings

Dynamic friction significantly affects segregation intensity

Density and elastic modulus have lesser impact

Simulation results align with experimental observations

Abstract

Processes of mixing and segregation in a packed bed of granular material stirred by a periodically moving rectangular bar are simulated by the discrete element method (DEM). Influence of mechanical properties of the particle material (dynamic friction coefficient, density, elastic modulus) on the segregation intensity is researched. Dynamic friction coefficient was found to have the most noticeable influence to the segregation intensity.