Packing Structure of Binary Particle Compacts with Fibers

Abstract

Fibers have been used to improve the mechanical properties of the asphalt paving mixture. It is known that the enhancement of powder compact mechanical properties is related to the compact packing microstructure. This study focuses on the evaluation of the packing microstructure of powder compacts produced from ternary mixtures of spherical particles and fibers. The discrete element method is employed to generate the compacts of particle mixtures of different compositions under gravity. The compact microstructure is quantitatively characterized by utilizing the developed image analysis technique to approximate the size distribution of voids among particles in X, Y and Z directions. As a result, the denser packing was obtained with a greater fraction of small spherical particles. The inclusion of fibers resulted in the high-density compact with uniform distribution of small size voids.

Sandwich Composite Panel from Spent Mushroom Substrate Fiber and Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber for Potential Green Thermal Insulation

“…When comparing the composite panel samples made of 100 SMS: 0 EFB and 80 SMS: 20 EFB, the thermal conductivity value had undergone incremental changes of 0.017 W/(mK) when the 20% ratio of the EFB fiber was increased in the composite. This increment value occurred due to the small portion of small void structure provided by the SMS fiber in the sandwich composite panel being decreased and replaced by the large void structure provided by 20% of the EFB fiber in the composite panel [55]. However, when the EFB fiber ratio was added up to 40%, the thermal conductivity once again decreased.…”

Porous Structure of Cylindrical Particle Compacts

“…The multispheres (MS) and superquadrics (SQ) algorithms are most frequently used for generating the non-spherical particles in DEM [22]. A particle of the desired shape is formed as a cluster of overlapping spheres that are glued together using the MS algorithm [23], and the mathematical expressions are used to represent the particle shape as a superquadric by varying the shape parameters in the SQ algorithm [24].…”

Simulation of flow properties of differently shaped particles using the discrete element method

“…Zhou et al [52] have recently extended the multisphere approach and developed the overlapping multisphere clump method to generate natural sand particles in 3D DEM simulations based on the micro‐computed tomography scanning images of real particles. Boribayeva et al [6] have used the superquadric approach to generate fibers and spherical particles to analyze the DEM‐simulated packing structures of the mixture of binary spherical particles and fibers. Orefice and Khinast [33] have developed a new framework for DEM modeling of deformable and breakable particles, which were represented as clusters of spherical clumps interacting through a linear elastoplastic force.…”