(70bf) Computer Modeling of a Packed Fibrous Bed

Computer modeling of the packing of spherical (or near-spherical) particles has been used extensively in the past for many purposes. Many of these studies have used DEM techniques where the equation of motion of each particle is integrated over time to find its final position in the assembly (for example [1], [2]). This paper presents a new approach to modeling packing that relies on the minimization of the gravitational potential and Hertzian-strain energy of an assembly. The study begins with the development of the technique using mono-size and binary mixtures of spherical particles. This approach is then applied to modeling the packing of fibrous materials. In this case the method relies on the minimization of bending and axial strain energies in addition to gravitational potential and contact laws.

References

[1] L.F. Liu, Z.P. Zhang, A.B. Yu, ?Dynamic simulation of the centripetal packing of mono-sized spheres', Physica A, 268, 433-453, 1999.

[2] Y.F. Cheng, S.J. Guo, H.Y. Lai, ?Dynamic simulation of random packing of spherical particles', Powder Technology, 107, 123-130, 2000.