Energy dissipation during impact of an agglomerate composed of autoadhesive elastic-plastic particles

Abstract

Discrete Element Method is used to simulate the impact of agglomerates consisting of autoadhesive, elastic-plastic primary particles. In order to explain the phenomenon that the elastic agglomerate fractures but the elastic-plastic agglomerate disintegrates adjacent to the impact site for the same impact velocity, we increase the impact velocity and lower the yield strength of the constituent particles of the agglomerate. We find that increasing the impact velocity can lead to the increased number of yielded contacts, and cause the elastic-plastic agglomerate to disintegrate faster. Mostly importantly, the energy dissipation process for the elastic-plastic agglomerate impact has been investigated together with the evolutions of the yielding contacts, and evolutions of velocity during impact.