Recent progress on the discrete element method simulations for powder transport systems: A review

Powder transport systems are ubiquitous in various industries, where they can encounter single powder flow, two-phase flow with solids carried by gas or liquid, and gas–solid–liquid three-phase flow. System geometry, operating conditions, and particle properties have significant impacts on the flow behavior, making it difficult to achieve good transportation of granular materials. Compared to experimental trials and theoretical studies, the numerical approach provides unparalleled advantages over the investigation and prediction of detailed flow behavior, of which the discrete element method (DEM) can precisely capture complex particle-scale information and attract a plethora of research interests. This is the first study to review recent progress in the DEM and coupled DEM with computational fluid dynamics for extensive powder transport systems, including single-particle, gas–solid/solid–liquid, and gas–solid–liquid flows. Some important aspects (i.e., powder electrification during pneumatic conveying, pipe bend erosion, non-spherical particle transport) that have not been well summarized previously are given special attention, as is the application in some new-rising fields (ocean mining, hydraulic fracturing, and gas/oil production). Studies involving important large-scale computation methods, such as the coarse grained DEM, graphical processing unit-based technique, and periodic boundary condition, are also introduced to provide insight for industrial application. This review study conducts a comprehensive survey of the DEM studies in powder transport systems.     

Constitutive model for gas hydrate-bearing soils considering different types of hydrate morphology and prediction of strength-band

The present study proposes a new elasto-plastic constitutive model that considers different types of hydrates in pore spaces. Many triaxial compression tests on both methane hydrate-bearing soils and carbon dioxide hydrate-bearing soils have been carried out over the last few decades. It has been revealed that methane hydrate-bearing soils and carbon dioxide hydrate-bearing soils have different strength and dilatancy properties even though they have the same hydrate contents. The reason for this might be due to the different types of hydrate morphology. In this study, therefore, the effect of the hydrate morphology on the mechanical response of gas-hydrate-bearing sediments is investigated through a model analysis by taking into account the different hardening rules corresponding to each type of hydrate morphology. In order to evaluate the capability of the proposed model, it is applied to the results of past triaxial compression tests on both methane hydrate-containing and carbon dioxide hydrate-containing sand specimens. The model is found to successfully reproduce the different stress–strain relations and dilatancy behaviors, by only giving consideration to the different morphology distributions and not changing the fitting parameters. The model is then used to predict a possible range in which the maximum deviator stress can move for various hydrate morphology ratios; the range is defined as the strength-band. The predicted curve of the maximum deviator stress obtained by the constitutive model matches the empirical equations obtained from past experiments. It supports the fact that the hydrate morphology ratio changes with the total hydrate saturation. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of the relation between the microscopic structures and macro-mechanical behaviors of gas-hydrate-bearing sediments.     

Fabrication and properties of diatomite ceramics with hierarchical pores based on direct stereolithography

Porous diatomite ceramics with hierarchical pores and high apparent porosity (50.29–56%) were successfully fabricated via direct stereolithography. The pre-ball-milling time, dispersant type and dispersant concentration were systematically investigated to prepare diatomite pastes with high solid loading, low viscosity and a self-supporting effect. The results showed that a pre-ball-milling time of 24 h was more suitable to prepare diatomite pastes with high solid loading, and Span80 at 2 wt% was the optimal dispersant to obtain 40 vol% diatomite paste with a low viscosity and a self-supporting effect. To restrain the formation of defects, a heating rate as low as 0.2 °C/min was allowed to control the pyrolysis rate in the multistage debinding process. At sintering temperatures ranging from 900 °C to 1000 °C, porous diatomite ceramics exhibited a typical bimodal porosity, high apparent porosity and great flexural strength.     

Preparation of self-healing Cf/SiBCN(O) composite using a novel polyborosilazane

In this study, novel polyborosilazane-derived SiBCN(O) ceramic was used as self-healing component in self-healing C_f/SiBCN(O) composite, which was prepared by polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process. Molecular-level structure design of boron-containing ceramic precursors was utilized to achieve uniform dispersion of boron-containing self-healing components in prepared composites. No elemental diffusion was observed at the interface of ceramic matrix and carbon fibers, which resulted in stable SiBCN(O) structure. In addition, boron was uniformly distributed in C_f/SiBCN(O) composite ceramic matrix, which was beneficial for self-healing of cracks. Cracks and indentations were able to heal at high temperatures in air. The best crack-healing behavior occurred in air atmosphere at 1000 °C, with nearly complete crack healing. This excellent self-healing behavior was achieved because silicon and boron atoms in SiBCN(O) ceramic reacted with available oxygen at high temperatures to form SiO₂(l), B₂O₃(l), and B₂O₃·xSiO₂ liquid phases, which effectively filled cracks. In general, as-prepared C_f/SiBCN(O) composite exhibited excellent self-healing properties and shows great application potential in high-temperature environment applications such as aviation, aerospace, and nuclear power.     

Direct ink writing of vancomycin-loaded polycaprolactone/ polyethylene oxide/ hydroxyapatite 3D scaffolds

Novel inks were formulated by dissolving polycaprolactone (PCL), a hydrophobic polymer, in organic solvent systems; polyethylene oxide (PEO) was incorporated to extend the range of hydrophilicity of the system. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) with a weight ratio of 55–85% was added to the polymer-based solution to mimic the material composition of natural bone tissue. The direct ink writing (DIW) technique was applied to extrude the formulated inks to fabricate the predesigned tissue scaffold structures; the influence of HAp concentration was investigated. The results indicate that in comparison to other inks containing HAp (55%, 75%, and 85%w/w), the ink containing 65% w/w HAp had faster ink recovery behavior; the fabricated scaffold had a rougher surface as well as better mechanical properties and wettability. It is noted that the 65% w/w HAp concentration is similar to the inorganic composition of natural bone tissue. The elastic modulus values of PCL/PEO/HAp scaffolds were in the range of 4–12 MPa; the values were dependent on the HAp concentration. Furthermore, vancomycin as a model drug was successfully encapsulated in the PCL/PEO/HAp composite scaffold for drug release applications. This paper presents novel drug-loaded PCL/PEO/HAp inks for 3D scaffold fabrication using the DIW printing technique for potential bone scaffold applications.     

Image sequence-based risk behavior detection of power operation inspection personnel

A novel image sequence-based risk behavior detection method to achieve high-precision risk behavior detection for power maintenance personnel is proposed in this paper. In this method, the original image sequence data is first separated from the foreground and background. Then, the free anchor frame detection method is used in the foreground image to detect the personnel and correct their direction. Finally, human posture nodes are extracted from each frame of the image sequence, which are then used to identify the abnormal behavior of the human. Simulation experiment results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has significant advantages in terms of the accuracy of human posture node detection and risk behavior identification.     

Gelling behavior of MgAl2O4 slurries with a common dispersant

MgAl₂O₄ transparent ceramics were shaped by a commonly used polyacrylic acid (PAA), which acted as both dispersant and gelling agent. The spinel slurries were prepared by ball-milling MgAl₂O₄ powder, PAA, and water in an attrition mill. The gelling of slurries happened at room temperature in air atmosphere without any other organic additive. The gelling mechanism was the formation of chelates between Mg²⁺ and carboxyl groups (-COO⁻) of PAA. The frequency-based testing method was applied to investigate the gelling process of the as-prepared slurry. In addition, a novel in situ characterization method based on a modified indentation testing was invented to better understand the strengthening of the wet green body with time and to guide when demolding could be carried out. After sintering, transparent MgAl₂O₄ ceramics with high in-line transmittance were resulted.     

基于有限元法的石油射孔枪弹间干扰研究

石油射孔弹顺序起爆后,弹间冲击波相互作用是一个高度非线性的力学过程。基于有限元法对这一过程进行显式动力分析,由计算结果得知,高孔密射孔枪弹间干扰产生的主要原因是下位弹在不对称的压力场起爆。设计的不同孔密和不同爆速的导爆索两种情形的爆轰试验结果表明,弹间间距越小(即孔密的增加),弹间干扰越严重;随着导爆索爆速的降低,下位弹射流头部质量集中的"中间"偏转角度增大,上位弹对其干扰越明显。以上结论可用于高孔密射孔枪的优化设计。     

Meal patterns of weaned dairy calves are affected by previous dietary experience and associated with competition surrounding individual feed bins

The objective of this study was to evaluate how meal patterns of recently weaned and group-housed dairy calves are subject to effects of previous dietary experience and associated with competition for feed. During the preweaning period, Holstein heifer and bull calves were provided diets differing in provision and presentation of forage as follows: (1) pelleted starter only (n = 12), (2) starter and chopped coastal bermudagrass provided in separate buckets (n = 13), (3) starter and chopped coastal bermudagrass mixed together in the same bucket (n = 15), or (4) starter, chopped coastal bermudagrass, and liquid molasses mixed together in 1 bucket (n = 13). At 58 ± 2 (mean ± standard deviation) days of age, following weaning, calves were mingled between treatments and moved into group housing in weekly age-based cohorts (7 ± 2 calves/group; 8 groups total), and all were provided the mixed diet (without molasses). Within group pens, calves were fed individually using the Calan Broadbent feeding system (American Calan Inc.). Calves were monitored for 1 wk following introduction to the group pen. Feed intake was measured daily. Behavioral data, describing feeding times and competition for feed, were recorded continuously for 48 h beginning after a 5-d adaptation to the group pen. Calves previously provided starter only had longer, less frequent meals than calves previously provided forage in any form, and they tended to consume less feed compared with those previously provided starter and hay separately, with calves previously provided mixed diets having intermediate intakes. We observed occurrences of displacements at bins, which were followed by replacements and feed stealing on some occasions, where 34% of calves consumed feed from a bin assigned to another calf on at least 1 occurrence, and 64% of calves were stolen from at least once. Competition at feed bins was not affected by previous dietary treatments, but was associated with meal patterns. Actor displacement rate was negatively associated with meal frequency and duration, but calves that were displaced more often were those that spent more time feeding. These results suggested a possible carryover effect of previous exposure to forage on postweaning meal patterns following a dietary change. Further, we found that competitive behavior varied considerably between individuals, occurring frequently despite feeding calves using individually-assigned feeding bins, and was associated with meal characteristics. These results highlighted the importance of considering both previous dietary experience and social factors when evaluating feeding behavior.     

Direct shear behavior of gravel-rubber mixtures: Discrete element modeling and microscopic investigations

In this paper, a newly developed 3-dimentional discrete element model (DEM) for gravel-rubber mixtures (GRMs), namely DEM4GRM, that is capable of accurately describing the macro-scale shear response (from small to large deformation) of GRMs in a direct shear box apparatus is presented. Rigid gravel grains are modelled as simple multi-shape clumps, while soft rubber particles are modeled by using deformable 35-ball body-centered-cubic clusters. Mixtures are prepared with different volumetric rubber content (VRC) at 0, 10, 25, 40 and 100%, statically compressed under 30, 60 and 100 kPa vertical stress and then sheared, by closely simulating a reference laboratory test procedure. The variation of micro-scale factors such as fabric, normal and tangential force anisotropy is carefully examined throughout the shearing process and described by means of novel micro-mechanical relationships valid for GRMs. Moreover, strong-force chains are scrutinized to identify the transition from rigid to soft granular skeleton and gain insights on the load transfer and deformation mechanisms of GRMs. It is shown that the development of the fabric and force anisotropy during shearing is closely related to the macro-scale shear strength of GRMs, and strongly depends on the VRC. Besides, strong-force chains appear to be primarily formed by gravel-gravel contacts (resulting in a rigid-like mechanical behavior) up to VRC = 30%, and by rubber-rubber contacts (causing a soft-like mechanical response) beyond VRC = 60%. Alternatively, at 30% < VRC < 60%, gravel-rubber contacts are predominant in the strong-force network and an intermediate mechanical behavior is observed. This is consistent with the behavioral trends observed in the macro- and micro-mechanical responses.