Search results

The tensile test is one of the fundamental experiments used to evaluate material properties. Simulating a tensile test can be a replacement of experiments to determine mechanical parameters of a continuous material. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This research uses a new approach to model a tensile test of a high-carbon steel on the basis of discrete element method (DEM). In this research, the tensile test specimen was created by using a DEM packing theory. The particle-particle bond model was used to establish the internal forces of the tensile test specimen. The particle-particle bond model was first tested by performing two-particle tensile test, then was adopted to simulate tensile tests of the high-carbon steel by using 3,678 particles.

This research has successfully revealed the relationships between the DEM parameters and mechanical parameters by modelling a tensile test. The parametric study demonstrates that the particle physical radius, particle contact radius and bond disc radius can significantly influence ultimate stress and Young’s modulus of the specimen, whereas they slightly impact elongation at fracture. Increasing the normal and shear stiffness, the critical normal and shear stiffness can enable the increase of ultimate stress, however, up to maximum values.

To improve the particle-particle bond model to simulate a tensile test for high-carbon steel, the damping factors for compensating energy loss from transition of particle motions and failure of bonds are required.

This work reinforces the knowledge of applying DEM to model continuous materials.

This research illustrates a new approach to model a tensile test of a high-carbon steel on the basis of DEM.

The combined finite‐discrete element method has been used to simulate the gravitational depositions of packs containing particles of cubical shape. This approach to the generation of particle packs is based on the simulation of the dynamics of pack formation including interaction among individual particles, inertia and gravitational forces. The results of such an approach are compared to the experimental results to evaluate both feasibility and accuracy of the combined finite‐discrete element simulation of packing problems.

To fabricate a selective laser melting (SLM)-processed AlSi10Mg part with almost full density and free of any apparent pores, this study aims to investigate the effect of ambient argon pressure and laser scanning speed on the particles splash during the AlSi10Mg powder bed laser melting.

Based on the discrete element method (DEM), a 3D model of random distribution of powder particles was established, and the 3D free surface of SLM forming process was dynamically tracked by the volume of fluid, where a Gaussian laser beam acts as the energy source melting the powder bed. Through the numerical simulation and process experimental research, the effect of the applied laser power and scanning speed on the operating laser melting temperature was studied.

The process stability has a fundamental role in the porosity formation, which is process-dependent. The effect of the processing conditions on the process stability and the resultant forming defects were clarified.

The results shows that the pores were the main defects present in the SLM-processed AlSi10Mg sample, which decreases the densification level of the sample.

The optimal processing parameters (argon pressure of 1,000 Pa, laser power of 180 W, scan speed of 1,000 mm/s, powder layer thickness of 35 µm and hatch spacing of 50 µm ) applied during laser melting can improve the quality of selective laser melting of AlSi10Mg,

It can provide a technological support for 3D printing.

Based on the analysis of the pore and balling formation mechanisms, the optimal processing parameters have been obtained, which were argon pressure of 1,000 Pa, laser power of 180 W, scan speed of 1,000 mm/s, powder layer thickness of 35 µm and hatch spacing of 50 µm. Then, a near-fully dense sample free of any apparent pores on the cross-sectional microstructure was produced by SLM, wherein the relative density of the as-built samples is larger than 97.5%.

CD‐ROM technology has reached the point where just a few discs can equal the holdings of a small print library. Reference works used by libraries in hard copy are available on CD‐ROM; encyclopedias, news and periodicals are also in full text on disc. If the appropriate reference is found on disc, searchers need go no further than the CD‐ROM being examined. This article gives a brief overview of a number of CD‐ROMs which the author has bought to create his own personal library.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolution of the permeability of spherical packing during cold compaction by pore-scale modeling.

The discrete element method (DEM) is used to generate spherical packing structure under different compressive pressures and the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is adopted to calculate the permeability of each spherical assembly.

It is found that the decrease of the porosity is the main reason of the reduction in permeability in the initial compression stage, but its influence becomes insufficient in the late compression stages. Besides, two empirical formulas are obtained, which describe the relation between the permeability and the equivalent mean diameter and the variation of normalized permeability with compressive pressure, respectively.

In this study, the authors study the spherical particles and ignore the non-spherical effects. Besides, the classical contact model, the linear-spring-damping model, is used in DEM, so the plastic deformation cannot be considered.

The DEM and the LBM are well combined to study the compaction effects on permeability of spherical packing. Two simple expressions of the spherical packing structure with uniform diameter distribution are given for the first time.

Discrete element method (DEM) has been extensively used in the laboratory of particulate and multiphase processing at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to study the fundamentals of particulate matter at a particle scale. This paper briefly reviews the work in the laboratory, which covers the development of simulation techniques and their application to the study of particle packing and flow, transport properties and constitutive relationships of typical static or dynamic particulate systems. It is concluded, through representative comparison between simulated and measured results under different conditions, that DEM, as a major technique for discrete particle simulation, is an effective method for particle scale research of particulate matter.

The distinct element method as proposed by Cundall and Strack uses the computationally efficient, explicit, central difference time integration scheme. A limitation of this scheme is that it is only conditionally stable, so small time steps must be used. Some researchers have proposed using an implicit time integration scheme to avoid the stability issues arising from the explicit time integrator typically used in these simulations. However, these schemes are computationally expensive and can require a significant number of iterations to form the stiffness matrix that is compatible with the contact state at the end of each time step. In this paper, a new, simple approach for calculating the critical time increment in explicit discrete element simulations is proposed. Using this approach, it is shown that the critical time increment is a function of the current contact conditions. Considering both two‐ and three‐dimensional scenarios, the proposed refined estimates of the critical time step indicate that the earlier recommendations contained in the literature can be unconservative, in that they often overestimate the actual critical time step. A three‐dimensional simulation of a problem with a known analytical solution illustrates the potential for erroneous results to be obtained from discrete element simulations, if the time‐increment exceeds the critical time step for stable analysis.

Accurate 3D experimental particle trajectory data, acquired from a laboratory tumbling mill using bi‐planar X‐ray filming, are used to validate the discrete element method (DEM). Novel numerical characterisation techniques are presented that provide a basis for comparing the experimental and simulated charge behaviour. These techniques are based on fundamental conservation principles, and provide robust, new interpretations of charge behaviour that are free of operator bias. Two‐ and three‐dimensional DEM simulations of the experimental tumbling mill are performed, and the relative merits of each discussed. The results indicate that in its current form DEM can simulate some of the salient features of the tumbling mill charge, however, comparison with the experiment indicate that the technique requires refinement to adequately simulate all aspects of the system.

The purpose of this paper is to examine several calibration techniques that have been developed to determine the discrete element method (DEM) parameters for slow and rapid unconfined flow of granular conical pile formation. This paper also aims to discuss some of the methods currently employed to scale particle properties to reduce computational resources and time to solve large DEM models.

DEM models have been calibrated against simple bench‐scale experimental results to examine the validity of selected parameters for the contact, material and mechanical models to simulate the dynamic and static behaviour of cohesionless polyethylene pellets. Methods to determine quantifiable single particle parameters such as static friction and the coefficient of restitution have been highlighted. Numerical and experimental granular pile formation has been investigated using different slumping and pouring techniques to examine the dependency of the type of flow mechanism on the DEM parameters.

The proposed methods can provide cost effective and simple techniques to determine suitable input parameters for DEM models. Rolling friction and particle shape representation has shown to have a significant influence on the bulk flow characteristics via a sensitivity analysis and needs to be accessed based on the environmental conditions.

This paper describes several effective known and novel methodologies to characterise granular materials that are needed to accurately model granular flow using the DEM to provide valuable quantitative data. For the DEM to be a viable predictive tool in industrial applications which often contain huge quantities of particles with random particle shapes and irregular properties, quick and validated techniques to “tune” DEM models are necessary.

This paper aims to present a systematic approach in the literature survey related to metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes and its multi-physics continuum modelling approach for its better understanding.

A systematic review of the literature available in the area of continuum modelling practices adopted for the powder bed fusion (PBF) AM processes for the deposition of powder layer over the substrate along with quantification of residual stress and distortion. Discrete element method (DEM) and finite element method (FEM) approaches have been reviewed for the deposition of powder layer and thermo-mechanical modelling, respectively. Further, thermo-mechanical modelling adopted for the PBF AM process have been discussed in detail with its constituents. Finally, on the basis of prediction through thermo-mechanical models and experimental validation, distortion mitigation/minimisation techniques applied in PBF AM processes have been reviewed to provide a future direction in the field.

The findings of this paper are the future directions for the implementation and modification of the continuum modelling approaches applied to PBF AM processes. On the basis of the extensive review in the domain, gaps are recommended for future work for the betterment of modelling approach.

This paper is limited to review only the modelling approach adopted by the PBF AM processes, i.e. modelling techniques (DEM approach) used for the deposition of powder layer and macro-models at process scale for the prediction of residual stress and distortion in the component. Modelling of microstructure and grain growth has not been included in this paper.

This paper presents an extensive review of the FEM approach adopted for the prediction of residual stress and distortion in the PBF AM processes which sets the platform for the development of distortion mitigation techniques. An extensive review of distortion mitigation techniques has been presented in the last section of the paper, which has not been reviewed yet.