Analysis of Forced Flow of Granular Materials in Vertical Pipes without and with Air Permeation

The problems associated with grain elevation and conveying under forced flow in vertical pipes are discussed. Based on experimental results, a theory is presented to describe forced flow with varying degrees of air permeation up to and just beyond the fluidization point. The theory takes into account the boundary and internal frictional properties, the degree of consolidation of the bulk granular material, and the stress fields that occur during forced flow. The force to elevate grain in a vertical tube is shown to be composed of two components, one to overcome Coulomb friction and initiate motion, and the other a time-dependent component that depends on the stiffness and damping characteristics of the granular material. The Coulomb friction component increases approximately exponentially with column height due to the positive feedback effect of the shear stresses at the pipe wall opposing the motion. Air permeation is shown to significantly reduce this component of the conveying force by reducing both the internal friction and the apparent bulk specific weight, the latter being the actual bulk specific weight less the air pressure gradient. Air permeation has a very significant effect on reducing both the bulk stiffness and, particularly, the damping characteristics, thereby reducing the time-dependent component of the conveying force.     

Effect of Passive Inserts on the Granular Flow from Silos Using Numerical Solutions

Experimental investigations indicate that placing a passive insert in a silo is a method for influencing the discharging flow pattern. These inserts have consisted of an inverted cone, a cone-in-cone, and a double cone. However, providing unequivocal guidelines on where those inserts should be placed for an optimum effect has not been possible experimentally. A numerical approach was therefore developed to predict material flow in the presence of such inserts in silos. Simulation results showed that all these inserts could make a funnel-flow silo perform in mass flow under certain circumstances if positioned correctly. The inserts should be installed at higher levels close to the transition rather than at lower positions close to the outlet, especially with the cone-in-cone insert and the inverted inserts; the maximum diameter of the inverted cone and the double cone should, however, be below the transition of the silo. Among the three inserts investigated, the double cone appeared to be the best, although even with this insert mass flow could not always be obtained if the hopper had an inclination angle as large as 45°. In such a situation, more simulations revealed that the extension of the lower part of the double cone had the potential to improve the flow pattern in the hopper. This potential could be utilized by a combination of extending the lower cone of the double cone insert and reducing the friction between the material and the hopper wall. To ensure improvement, further simulations illustrated that a ratio of 2:7 between the maximum diameter of the insert and the diameter of the silo was also crucial for the best effect.     

Effect of Passive Inserts on the Granular Flow from Silos Using Numerical Solutions

Experimental investigations indicate that placing a passive insert in a silo is a method for influencing the discharging flow pattern. These inserts have consisted of an inverted cone, a cone-in-cone, and a double cone. However, providing unequivocal guidelines on where those inserts should be placed for an optimum effect has not been possible experimentally. A numerical approach was therefore developed to predict material flow in the presence of such inserts in silos. Simulation results showed that all these inserts could make a funnel-flow silo perform in mass flow under certain circumstances if positioned correctly. The inserts should be installed at higher levels close to the transition rather than at lower positions close to the outlet, especially with the cone-in-cone insert and the inverted inserts; the maximum diameter of the inverted cone and the double cone should, however, be below the transition of the silo. Among the three inserts investigated, the double cone appeared to be the best, although even with this insert mass flow could not always be obtained if the hopper had an inclination angle as large as 45°. In such a situation, more simulations revealed that the extension of the lower part of the double cone had the potential to improve the flow pattern in the hopper. This potential could be utilized by a combination of extending the lower cone of the double cone insert and reducing the friction between the material and the hopper wall. To ensure improvement, further simulations illustrated that a ratio of 2:7 between the maximum diameter of the insert and the diameter of the silo was also crucial for the best effect.     

Effects of Material Properties on Granular Flow in a Silo Using DEM Simulation

In order to test the effect of material properties on flowability of particulate materials, discharge procedures of spherical particles within a flat-bottomed model silo with three sets of material properties, i.e., soft and hard without adhesion and adhesive hard, were simulated using the Discrete Element Method. For each system, three particles on the center line were selected and their instant vertical velocity components were traced. In addition, both discharge and the rate were recorded throughout the procedure. The predicted results show that, for both the systems without adhesion, though the soft has a material modulus only 1/1000 of the hard, there are no significant differences in f low pattern and discharge rate. This suggests that a soft system can be used to predict the behavior of a hard one to save CPU time in a gravity-driven granular flow. On the other hand, comparison between both hard systems shows that adhesion can significantly reduce the flowability in granular flow. By analyzing the velocity plot for the traced particles, free fall was clearly detected above the decompression zone, indicating the motion of a particle in a granular flow can be resolved as free fall together with the movement due to particle collision. In addition, select dynamic behavior related to the kinetic fluctuations affecting flow was observed. discrete element method silo granule flow particulate material     

Effects of Material Properties on Granular Flow in a Silo Using DEM Simulation

In order to test the effect of material properties on flowability of particulate materials, discharge procedures of spherical particles within a flat-bottomed model silo with three sets of material properties, i.e., soft and hard without adhesion and adhesive hard, were simulated using the Discrete Element Method. For each system, three particles on the center line were selected and their instant vertical velocity components were traced. In addition, both discharge and the rate were recorded throughout the procedure. The predicted results show that, for both the systems without adhesion, though the soft has a material modulus only 1/1000 of the hard, there are no significant differences in f low pattern and discharge rate. This suggests that a soft system can be used to predict the behavior of a hard one to save CPU time in a gravity-driven granular flow. On the other hand, comparison between both hard systems shows that adhesion can significantly reduce the flowability in granular flow. By analyzing the velocity plot for the traced particles, free fall was clearly detected above the decompression zone, indicating the motion of a particle in a granular flow can be resolved as free fall together with the movement due to particle collision. In addition, select dynamic behavior related to the kinetic fluctuations affecting flow was observed.

discrete element method silo granule flow particulate material     

Torsional rigidity of a circular bar with multiple circular inclusions using the null-field integral approach

In this article, a systematic approach is proposed to calculate the torsional rigidity and stress of a circular bar containing multiple circular inclusions. To fully capture the circular geometries, the kernel function is expanded to the degenerate form and the boundary density is expressed into Fourier series. The approach is seen as a semi-analytical manner since error purely attributes to the truncation of Fourier series. By collocating the null-field point exactly on the real boundary and matching the boundary condition, a linear algebraic system is obtained. Convergence study shows that only a few number of Fourier series terms can yield acceptable results. Finally, torsion problems are revisited to check the validity of our method. Not only the torsional rigidities but also the stresses of multiple inclusions are also obtained by using the present approach.     

Numerical Investigation of Crater Phenomena in a Particle Stream Impact onto a Granular Bed

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of the impact of a particle stream onto a particle bed using a 2D slot model. The numerical simulation is performed by means of the discrete element method (DEM). The results show that the DEM simulation can reproduce the experimental results well under comparative conditions. The dynamics in the formation of a crater is then analyzed in terms of velocity field, force structure, bottom stress distribution and energy exchange based on the DEM results. It is shown that as a result of impact by the falling particles, the particles in the top central region of the particle bed have relatively large velocities and contact forces. The velocities and forces propagate into the bed, and reach the bottom of the base layer quickly. They then continue to propagate leftwards and rightwards to create a crater. During the impact process, most of the energy from the falling particles is dissipated due to the inelastic collision and frictional contacts between particles, and only a small amount of the energy contributes to the formation of the crater. The crater size is shown to be affected by the discharging rate, discharging height and materials properties, and be related to the ratio of the input energy from the falling stream to the inertial energy from the original packing.     

轧机主传动系统扭振盲测点测量模型的研究

为解决轧机主传动系统实际测试中不可测点处物理参数测取的难题,构造了一类连续轴段质量扭振分析模型,并推导出轴段上盲测点处的扭振参数计算公式。通过把实测点的测试数据代入盲测点计算公式,可计算盲测点的振动参数。轧机实际现场扭矩测试和数据分析处理结果验证了理论推导的正确性。这为轧机现场监测中一些不易布置传感器关键点处的物理量测取提供了理论依据和技术支持,通过编制程序可以实现轧机在线系统监测和故障分析,从而确保轧机正常平稳运行。     

Investigation of Flow in the Vicinity of Porous Material on a Cylindrical Body Subjected to Flow

The results are given of an experimental investigation of the distribution of velocity components in a flow of air in the vicinity of a hemispherical permeable blunting of a cylindrical body under conditions of low injection intensity. A numerical simulation of the flow structure is performed for the parameters corresponding to those used in the experiments. Comparison of the results of physical and numerical simulation revealed a number of special features of flow in the boundary layer on a curved surface under conditions of its gasdynamic conjugation with the inner cavity.     

Application of a cellular automaton to simulations of granular flow in silos

A cellular automaton based on a gas model of hydrodynamics was used to calculate the kinematics of non-cohesive granular materials during confined flow in a mass flow and funnel flow model silo. In the model, collisions of particles were taken into account during granular flow. In addition, a simplified automaton was used wherein granular flow was assumed as an upward propagation of holes through a lattice composed of cells representing single particles. The advantages and disadvantages of both cellular automata were outlined.     

Frequency Methods Applied to the Characterization of the Thermophysical Properties of a Granular Material with a Cylindrical Probe

In many fields, such as in the agri-food industry or in the building industry, it is important to be able to monitor the thermophysical properties of granular materials. Regular thermal probes allow for the determination of one or several thermophysical factors. The success of the method used depends in part on the nature of the signal sent, on the type of physical model applied and eventually on the type of probe used and its implantation in the material. Although efficacious for most applications, regular thermal probes do present some limitations. It is the case, for example, when one has to know precisely the thermal contact resistance or the nature of the signal sent. In this article is presented a characterization method based on thermal impedance formalism. This method allows for the determination of the thermal conductivity, the thermal diffusivity, and the contact thermal resistance in one single test. The application of this method requires the use of a specific probe developed to enable measurement of heat flux and temperature at the interface of the probe and the studied material. Its practical application is presented for dry sand.     

Instability of the Flow in a Spherical Layer under Torsional Oscillations of the Inner Boundary

The instability of viscous incompressible fluid flows caused in a thin spherical layer by torsional oscillations of the inner sphere in a thin spherical layer with respect to the sate of rest is studied numerically. It has been established that an increase in the frequency of torsional oscillations leads to a change in the mode of the instability, with a transition from secondary flows in the form of Taylor vortices to structures not observed earlier. The revealed instability is observed in the frequency range from 0.61 to 2.45 Hz or, if the wavelengths are taken relative to the layer thickness, from 0.67 to 1.33.     

Simultaneous Measurements of an Ultrasound and a Torsional Oscillator for 4He in a Nanoporous Glass

Previously, we carried out ultrasonic measurements for liquid ⁴He filled in a nanoporous glass (Gelsil), and observed an increase in the sound velocity due to decoupling of the superfluid component. At zero pressure, the superfluid transition temperature T _C is suppressed to 1.4 K from the bulk lambda point, 2.17 K. This behavior is the same as torsional oscillator measurements by Yamamoto et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 93:075302, 2004). However, the pressure dependence of T _C and the temperature dependence of the superfluid fraction are very different from the torsional oscillator measurements. In order to clarify the origin of the difference, we have developed a new technique of simultaneous measurement of an ultrasound and a torsional oscillator, and the system successfully works for a nanoporous glass. Here, we compare decoupling of the superfluid component for ⁴He films between an ultrasound and a torsional oscillator.     

X-ray tomography applied to the characterization of cellular materials. Related finite element modeling problems

The analyses of several materials exhibiting a cellular structure have been carried out using X-ray tomography. This new technique allows the three dimensional and non destructive visualisation of the studied materials at the scale of their cellular microstructure. Qualitative examples are given for metal foams, bread and cellular concrete. The similarity between these materials is striking. It has been measured by quantitative 3D image processing. The different Finite Element Methods available today to produce meshes from these images are presented and discussed in the final part of this paper.     

流动注射分析仪检测水中氰化物的方法研究

为获得一种准确、快速、灵敏自动检测水中氰化物的方法,本文使用流动注射分析仪(FIA)分析水中的氰化物的含量,并与传统分光光度法的分析结果进行比对。实验证明本方法操作简便、线性好,灵敏度、精密度、准确度都能符合分析工作要求。     

A Genetic Algorithm to Solve Capacity Assignment Problem in a Flow Network

Computer networks and power transmission networks are treated as capacitated flow networks. A capacitated flow network may partially fail due to maintenance. Therefore, the capacity of each edge should be optimally assigned to face critical situations—i.e., to keep the network functioning normally in the case of failure at one or more edges. The robust design problem (RDP) in a capacitated flow network is to search for the minimum capacity assignment of each edge such that the network still survived even under the edge’s failure. The RDP is known as NP-hard. Thus, capacity assignment problem subject to system reliability and total capacity constraints is studied in this paper. The problem is formulated mathematically, and a genetic algorithm is proposed to determine the optimal solution. The optimal solution found by the proposed algorithm is characterized by maximum reliability and minimum total capacity. Some numerical examples are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.     

Flow analysis of a power-law fluid confined in an extrusion die

The one-dimensional equations in cylindrical coordinates governing flow in an arbitrary cross-sectional shape of a cavity and the slot are derived by accounting of the order of magnitude of terms by using scaling arguments and asymptotic techniques. The derived equation is based on an average momentum and mass balance within the cavity. The one-dimensional equations governing flow in a single-cavity die which can be used to predict the geometry of the cavity and the film thickness deviations for given geometry and operating points and thus yield a design strategy for extrusion die optimized for specific applications. The derived one-dimensional governing equations with the exception of coordinates system for extrusion dies are found to be identical to that of Leonard [Polym. Eng. Sci. 25 (9) (1985) 570] and Weinstein and Ruschak [AIChE J. 42 (9) (1996) 2401] who used the shape factor in the different manner and can be reduced to Miller’s [Ind. Eng. Chem. Fundam. 11 (4) (1972) 524] simple model under the certain restrictions.     

QFD方法在面向MRP实施的物流系统优化过程中的应用

文章首先分析了我国MRP系统的应用现状与存在问题，提出基于物流系统设计的管理基础改善是支持MRP成功实施的前提和基础。之后，研究了MRPII实施的资源能力观，这是物流系统QFD设计的理论前提。在此基础上，应用QFD理论，按照MRP实施的要求对物流系统进行了优化设计。最后，总结研究结论，并提出必要的改进方案。