Understanding the flow behaviors
of nonspherical particles
is critical
for rotating drum design and optimization. Rotating drum experiments
of particles of different properties were conducted and the flow behavior
was investigated by high-resolution camera recordings. The superquadric
discrete element method (SuperDEM) was employed to simulate the spherical
and nonspherical particle flows and validated by comparing the simulation
results with the experimental data. A sensitivity study shows that
angles of repose of spheres, cubes, and green beans were approximately
constant when the friction coefficient was larger than 0.3, while
for cylindrical shape particles, angles increased continuously until
μ was 0.6. To study the impact of shapes, the validated model
was applied to simulate particles of different shapes with the same
density and volume. It was found that cylindrical particles with smaller
sphericity had larger repose angles and were packed more densely than
spheres, and the relationship between sphericity and angle was nonlinear.
Nonspherical particles had a higher kinetic energy conversion efficiency,
and cylinders’ and cubes’ average rotational kinetic
energies were also larger than that for spheres. The ratio of the
rotational kinetic energy to the total kinetic energy of cylinders
was up to 10.59%, which indicated the significant impacts of particle
shapes. Besides, particle shapes significantly affect the anisotropic
distribution of the normal contact forces, especially for cylinders
and cubes.
Gabion has been extensively used in retaining walls and slope protection. This study carries out a safety risk analysis of a new structure combining basalt fiber reinforcement (BFR) and the traditional gabion structure. The micro-parameters of BFR and soil were calibrated by using the 3D discrete element method after the tensile test of BFR was completed. The mechanical property of the gabion unit was investigated by using a refined model and a numerical test of uniaxial compression. This work developed a simplified method to simulate the seepage effect. The stress condition and sliding displacement between gabions were also investigated. Deformation, stress, and porosity were all used to evaluate the stability of the new type of gabion slope. According to this study, BFR has a tensile strength of 68.22 MPa, and the safety factor increased by 25.68% after using these BFR gabions. The damage is mainly manifested by bending the BFRs and the dislocation of the gabion units, as the slope does not slip. It is indicated this novel gabion structure has a lower safety risk compared to traditional ones, and thus can be popularized and used in retaining walls and slope protection.
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