(348c) Simulation of Flow-Driven Segregation in Mixtures of Disks and Rods

While much effort has been devoted to understanding granular segregation in mixtures of spherical particles, e.g. size- and density-driven segregation, non-spherical particle mixtures are much more common in real-world applications. Here, we characterize the orientation and segregation velocity in bidisperse mixtures of equal density disk-like and rod-like particles. We use discrete element method simulations of a quasi-2D bounded heap geometry, which includes a wide range of concentrations and shear rates, with particles modeled as super-ellipsoids to evaluate the effect of varying the length ratio and diameter ratio between particle species on segregation. The simulations reveal that particles orient to minimize the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the flow direction and that the segregation velocity in mixtures of disk- and rod-like particles can be predicted by the volume ratio. Funded by The Dow Chemical Company.