Granular Stack Density’s Influence on Homogeneous Fluidization Regime: Numerical Study Based on EDEM-CFD Coupling

FLUENT and EDEM were applied to simulate liquid–solid coupling in a 3D homogenous fluidization. The dynamics of destabilization of the granular material immersed by homogeneous fluidization were observed. The effect of initial packing density of granular stack and fluidization rate on the fluidization’s transient regime, the configuration of particles in the fluidized bed and the variation of bed height were analyzed and discussed. According to the results, there was an original observation of a strong impact of the initial density of an initially static granular stack on the transient fluidization regime. Depending on the material initial volume fraction, there was a difference in grain dynamics. For an initially loose stack, a homogeneous turbulent fluidization was observed, whereas for an initially dense stack, there was a mass takeoff of the stack. The propagation of wave porosity instability, from the bottom to the top of the stack with fast kinetics that decompacted the medium, followed this mass takeoff.

Particle Deposition in Drying Porous Media

The drying of porous media is a ubiquitous phenomenon in soils and building materials. The fluid often contains suspended particles. Particle deposition may modify significantly the final material, as it could be pollutants or clogging the pores, decreasing the porosity, such as in salt, in which particles and drying kinetics are coupled. Here, we used SEM and X-ray microtomography to investigate the dried porous media initially saturated by nanoparticle suspensions. As the suspensions were dried, nanoparticles formed a solid deposit, which added to the initial solid matrix and decreased the porosity. We demonstrate that since the drying occurred through the top surface, the deposit is not uniform as a function of depth. Indeed, the particles were advected by the liquid flow toward the evaporative surface; the deposit was significant over a depth that depended on the initial volume fraction, but the pore size was affected over a very narrow length. These findings were interpreted in the frame of a physical model. This study may help to design better porous media and take into account particle influence in drying processes.

Scaling Theory of a Polymer Ejecting from a Cavity into a Semi-Space

A two-stage model is developed in order to understand the scaling behaviors of single polymers ejecting from a spherical cavity through a nanopore. The dynamics of ejection is derived by balancing the free energy change with the energy dissipation during a process. The ejection velocity is found to vary with the number of monomers in the cavity, m, as mz1/(Nx1D3z1) at the confined stage, and it turns to be m−z2 at the non-confined stage, where N is the chain length and D the cavity diameter. The exponents are shown to be z1=(3ν−1)−1, z2=2ν and x1=1/3, with ν being the Flory exponent. The profile of the velocity is carefully verified by performing Langevin dynamics simulations. The simulations further reveal that, at the starting point, the decreasing of m can be stalled for a good moment. It suggests the existence of a pre-stage that can be explained by using the concept of a classical nucleation theory. By trimming the pre-stage, the ejection time are properly studied by varying N, D, and ϕ0 (the initial volume fraction). The scaling properties of the nucleation time are also analyzed. The results fully support the predictions of the theory. The physical pictures are given for various ejection conditions that cover the entire parameter space.

TiC plasma spray cermets

The microstructure and microhardness of eleven volumetric cermets based on TiC carbide with nickel and cobalt based matrices after liquid-phase sintering at a temperature of 1400 °C were studied. It is supposed to use the research results for the subsequent formation of a powder for plasma spraying of coatings. The compositions of the matrix, additional hardening phases, and carbon were selected taking into account the specific features of the formation of plasma coatings: a decrease in the carbon content and high solidification rates of the sprayed particles with the formation of additional nanosized carbides and an increase in the volume fraction of carbides from 70 % to 88 %. As the matrix, we used the traditional composition for cermets with TiC carbide, NiCr – Mo, and industrial powders, PGSR brands, Ni – 13.5 Cr – 2.7 Si – 4.5 Fe – 0.37 C – 1.65 B, and TAFA 1241F Co – 32 Ni – 21 Cr – 8 Al – 0.5 Y. The ring zone on TiC carbide is formed with the participation of WC, Cr3C2, TiN, matrix phases and additional carbon in the composition of cermets, 1 – 2.8 %, as a result, the initial volume fraction of TiC carbide increases 70 to 88 %. Additional carbon is consumed to reduce oxygen content at the stage of sintering (reduction of oxides). After sintering, cermets have high microhardness values at a load on an indenter of 20 G, 1940 – 3210 kgf/mm2, and lower values at a load on an indenter of 200 G, which was explained by a scale factor. The maximum calculated contribution of the hardness of the hardening phases to the hardness of the cermet was established for cermets with a Co matrix of 3681 kgf/mm2.

A numerical and experimental study of sand-rubber mixtures subjected to oedometric compression

The stockpiling of waste tires at landfill sites has become a nuisance for the society. One of the alternatives could be converting the recycled rubber into powdered form and mixing it with soil to use it as the backfill of the retaining structures. This paper is based on the study of such sand-rubber mixtures. In this work, Discrete Element (DEM) simulations were employed to study the mechanical response of sand-rubber mixtures with respect to a column of grains enclosed within a rigid cylindrical confinement, and subjected to an oedometric compression by the fixed velocity displacement of one of the horizontal walls. Further, experimental analysis was also carried out by using a uniaxial load cell to load the sand-rubber mixtures under compression. Different initial packings of sand-rubber mixture were prepared by varying: (a) the packing volume fraction and (b) the volume fraction of rubber. The mechanical response at small strains was studied for these sand-rubber packings. The mixture behavior was observed to be more sand-dominant or rubber-dominant depending on the rubber fraction and the mixture quality. Moreover, variation in the initial volume fraction of the packing also caused a difference in the load bearing of the packings for a given strain and a given rubber fraction.

A two-phase flow description of the initiation of underwater granular avalanches

A theoretical model based on a depth-averaged version of two-phase flow equations is developed to describe the initiation of underwater granular avalanches. The rheology of the granular phase is based on a shear-rate-dependent critical state theory, which combines a critical state theory proposed by Roux & Radjai (1998), and a rheological model recently proposed for immersed granular flows. Using those phenomenological constitutive equations, the model is able to describe both the dilatancy effects experienced by the granular skeleton during the initial deformations and the rheology of wet granular media when the flow is fully developed. Numerical solutions of the two-phase flow model are computed in the case of a uniform layer of granular material fully immersed in a liquid and suddenly inclined from horizontal. The predictions are quantitatively compared with experiments by Pailha, Nicolas & Pouliquen (2008), who have studied the role of the initial volume fraction on the dynamics of underwater granular avalanches. Once the rheology is calibrated using steady-state regimes, the model correctly predicts the complex transient dynamics observed in the experiments and the crucial role of the initial volume fraction. Quantitative predictions are obtained for the triggering time of the avalanche, for the acceleration of the layer and for the pore pressure.

Effect of Brownian and Thermophoretic Diffusions of Nanoparticles on Nonequilibrium Heat Conduction in Nanofluids

Effects of Brownian and thermophoretic diffusions on nonequilibrium heat conduction in a nanofluid layer with periodic heat flux on one side and specified temperature on the other side are investigated numerically. The problem are described by eight dimensionless parameters: density ratio, heat capacity ratio, Lewis number, Soret coefficient, initial volume fraction of nanoparticles, initial temperature, Sparrow number, and period of the surface heat flux. Effects of Brownian and thermophoretic diffusions of nanoparticles on nonequilibrium heat conduction in nanofluid obtained by dispersing copper nanoparticles into ethylene glycol are investigated. The results showed that the Brownian and thermophoretic diffusions only affect the nanoparticle temperature but their effect on the heat transfer enhancement is negligible.