Large-scale dem simulation of plate drag in closely packed dry granular materials (particle size effect)

Abstract

The interaction between dry granular materials and a plate is numerically studied using a large-scale discrete element method (DEM) simulation. In the simulation, a vertical flat plate is dragged horizontally through closely packed materials. To examine the effects of particle size on the drag force acting on the plate, five cases with different mean particle diameter Dp50 = 4.0, 2.0, 1.6, 1.2 and 0.8 mm are compared. The results show that for larger particles, the force randomly fluctuates as the plate advances while for smaller particles, the force oscillates with a larger amplitude. The analysis of angular velocity of the particles shows that the force oscillation is attributed to the evolution of shear bands formed only in the bed of the smaller particles.