Simulation Techniques for Porous Media Confined in Silo Geometry

Abstract

Abstract. Granular materials have vast applications both in industry and in daily life. They display quite interesting and exceptional properties different from the other known forms of matter. To investigate the complex properties of particulate materials, experimental, analytical and simulation techniques have been employed. In this paper the results of large-scale discrete element molecular dynamics (DEM) simulations in three dimensions are reported. It deals with the investigation of stress deflection due to various grain sizes. Moreover, the influence of coefficient of friction between granules and cylindrical walls on the mass measured at bottom of container i.e. apparent mass is thoroughly investigated. It is revealed that apparent mass varies linearly with the grain size. In addition to that, it is also found that the apparent mass variation is strongly dependent on bead diameter rather than the silo. The results reveal that conversion of vertical stresses into horizontal in silo is mainly due to the friction between the grain and system boundary.