No presente trabalho é apresentada uma versão do Método dos Elementos Discretos formado por barras (DEM) no estudo do colapso de estruturas. O Método dos Elementos Discretos foi introduzido, especialmente, para a simulação numérica de problemas de dano e fratura. Esse método tem habilidade natural para introduzir descontinuidades de uma maneira muito direta e intuitiva. Além disso, métodos discretos oferecem uma estrutura conveniente para dar conta da desordem da microestrutura do material por meio de modelos estatísticos. A versão do DEM utilizada neste trabalho consiste na discretização do contínuo em barras que formam uma treliça espacial regular, onde massas equivalentes são concentradas nos nós, e as rigidezes das barras são equivalentes ao contínuo que tentam representar. Leis uniaxiais de dano permitem modelar fratura e dano anisotrópico com relativa facilidade. Esta versão foi amplamente testada em diversos campos da Engenharia, entre eles, problemas dinâmicos, de impacto, geração e propagação de sismos, estudo de efeito de escala em rochas e concreto, análise da microestrutura de materiais. Este trabalho apresenta dois grandes temas, nos quais foram realizadas implementações no DEM que aumentam sua aplicabilidade. Também são implementadas modificações nas leis constitutivas antes utilizadas, e apresentadas, também, novas leis para dar flexibilidade na calibração dos modelos. São comparados os resultados utilizando as diversas leis na análise do efeito de escala de placas submetidas à tração. Também são analisados os resultados obtidos sob a óptica da teoria de escala multifractal. Neste campo, encontram-se respostas muito interessantes que explicam os mecanismos de fratura, assim como dão uma noção de que alterações deveriam ser realizadas no DEM para conseguir que o método fique completamente objetivo em relação à escala. Nesse processo, estudam-se diferentes formas de obter as dimensões fractais de placas de rocha submetidas à tração e é analisada a influência de alguns dos parâmetros do DEM, além da relação constitutiva utilizada. Finalmente, o DEM é introduzido dentro do sistema comercial Abaqus, com objetivo de resolver problemas com grande quantidade de graus de liberdade ou com as condições de contorno ou de carregamento muito complexos. Apresentam-se exemplos de validação e exemplos de aplicação que mostram as vantagens das inovações realizadas. / This paper presents a version of the Truss-like Discrete Element Method in the study of the collapse of structures. The discrete element method was introduced especially for numerical simulation of fracture and damage problems. This method has the natural ability to introduce discontinuities in a very direct and intuitive way. Moreover, discrete methods offer a convenient framework to account for the disorder of the material microstructure by means of statistical models. The truss-like Discrete Element Method (DEM) used in this work represents the continuum by means of a periodic spatial arrangement of bars with the masses lumped at their ends. The rigidity of the bars is equivalent to the continuum to trying to represent. Uniaxial damage Laws allow model fracture and anisotropic damage with relative ease. This version was widely tested in various engineering fields including: dynamics problems, impact, generation and propagation of earthquakes, study of scale effect in rock and concrete analysis of the microstructure of materials. This work presents two major issues in witch were performed DEM implementations that increase its applicability. To obtain a better description of the model modifications in the constitutive laws are implemented and new ones are presented. The scale effect results of plates of rock subjected to traction obtained to different laws are compared. These obtained results are examined under the Multifractal scaling law theory. In this field, very interesting answers that explain the mechanisms of fracture are found. They gives some notions of which changes should be made in DEM to obtain a fully scale objective method. In the process, different ways to obtain the fractal dimension of rock plates subjected to traction are studied. The influence of some DEM parameter and constitutive laws are also analyzed. Finally, the DEM has been implemented within the commercial system ABAQUS to solve problems with a large number of degrees of freedom or very complex contour or loading conditions. Presents examples of validation and application that show the benefits of innovations through.

No presente trabalho é apresentada uma versão do Método dos Elementos Discretos formado por barras (DEM) no estudo do colapso de estruturas. O Método dos Elementos Discretos foi introduzido, especialmente, para a simulação numérica de problemas de dano e fratura. Esse método tem habilidade natural para introduzir descontinuidades de uma maneira muito direta e intuitiva. Além disso, métodos discretos oferecem uma estrutura conveniente para dar conta da desordem da microestrutura do material por meio de modelos estatísticos. A versão do DEM utilizada neste trabalho consiste na discretização do contínuo em barras que formam uma treliça espacial regular, onde massas equivalentes são concentradas nos nós, e as rigidezes das barras são equivalentes ao contínuo que tentam representar. Leis uniaxiais de dano permitem modelar fratura e dano anisotrópico com relativa facilidade. Esta versão foi amplamente testada em diversos campos da Engenharia, entre eles, problemas dinâmicos, de impacto, geração e propagação de sismos, estudo de efeito de escala em rochas e concreto, análise da microestrutura de materiais. Este trabalho apresenta dois grandes temas, nos quais foram realizadas implementações no DEM que aumentam sua aplicabilidade. Também são implementadas modificações nas leis constitutivas antes utilizadas, e apresentadas, também, novas leis para dar flexibilidade na calibração dos modelos. São comparados os resultados utilizando as diversas leis na análise do efeito de escala de placas submetidas à tração. Também são analisados os resultados obtidos sob a óptica da teoria de escala multifractal. Neste campo, encontram-se respostas muito interessantes que explicam os mecanismos de fratura, assim como dão uma noção de que alterações deveriam ser realizadas no DEM para conseguir que o método fique completamente objetivo em relação à escala. Nesse processo, estudam-se diferentes formas de obter as dimensões fractais de placas de rocha submetidas à tração e é analisada a influência de alguns dos parâmetros do DEM, além da relação constitutiva utilizada. Finalmente, o DEM é introduzido dentro do sistema comercial Abaqus, com objetivo de resolver problemas com grande quantidade de graus de liberdade ou com as condições de contorno ou de carregamento muito complexos. Apresentam-se exemplos de validação e exemplos de aplicação que mostram as vantagens das inovações realizadas. / This paper presents a version of the Truss-like Discrete Element Method in the study of the collapse of structures. The discrete element method was introduced especially for numerical simulation of fracture and damage problems. This method has the natural ability to introduce discontinuities in a very direct and intuitive way. Moreover, discrete methods offer a convenient framework to account for the disorder of the material microstructure by means of statistical models. The truss-like Discrete Element Method (DEM) used in this work represents the continuum by means of a periodic spatial arrangement of bars with the masses lumped at their ends. The rigidity of the bars is equivalent to the continuum to trying to represent. Uniaxial damage Laws allow model fracture and anisotropic damage with relative ease. This version was widely tested in various engineering fields including: dynamics problems, impact, generation and propagation of earthquakes, study of scale effect in rock and concrete analysis of the microstructure of materials. This work presents two major issues in witch were performed DEM implementations that increase its applicability. To obtain a better description of the model modifications in the constitutive laws are implemented and new ones are presented. The scale effect results of plates of rock subjected to traction obtained to different laws are compared. These obtained results are examined under the Multifractal scaling law theory. In this field, very interesting answers that explain the mechanisms of fracture are found. They gives some notions of which changes should be made in DEM to obtain a fully scale objective method. In the process, different ways to obtain the fractal dimension of rock plates subjected to traction are studied. The influence of some DEM parameter and constitutive laws are also analyzed. Finally, the DEM has been implemented within the commercial system ABAQUS to solve problems with a large number of degrees of freedom or very complex contour or loading conditions. Presents examples of validation and application that show the benefits of innovations through.

While tribology involves the study of friction, wear, and lubrication of interacting surfaces, the tribosurfaces are the pair of surfaces in sliding contact with a fluid (or particulate) media between them. The ubiquitous nature of tribology is evident from the usage of its principles in all aspects of life, such as the friction promoting behavior of shoes on slippery water-lubricated walkways and tires on roadways to the wear of fingernails during filing or engine walls during operations. These tribosurface interfaces, due to the small length scales, are difficult to model for contact mechanics, fluid mechanics and particle dynamics, be it via theory, experiments or computations. Also, there is no simple constitutive law for a tribosurface with a particulate media. Thus, when trying to model such a tribosurface, there is a need to calibrate the particulate media against one or more property characterizing experiments. Such a calibrated media, which is the “virtual avatar” of the real particulate media, can then be used to provide predictions about its behavior in engineering applications. This thesis proposes and attempts to validate an approach that leverages experiments and modeling, which comprises of physics-based modeling and machine learning enabled surrogate modeling, to study particulate media in two key particle matrix industries: metal powder-bed additive manufacturing (in Part II), and energy resource rock drilling (in Part III). The physics-based modeling framework developed in this thesis is called the Particle-Surface Tribology Analysis Code (P-STAC) and has the physics of particle dynamics, fluid mechanics and particle-fluid-structure interaction. The Computational Particle Dynamics (CPD) is solved by using the industry standard Discrete Element Method (DEM) and the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is solved by using finite difference discretization scheme based on Chorin's projection method and staggered grids. Particle-structure interactions are accounted for by using a state-of-the art Particle Tessellated Surface Interaction Scheme and the fluid-structure interaction is accounted for by using the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM). Surrogate modeling is carried out using back propagation neural network. The tribosurface interactions encountered during the spreading step of the powder-bed additive manufacturing (AM) process which involve a sliding spreader (rolling and sliding for a roller) and particulate media consisting of metal AM powder, have been studied in Part II. To understand the constitutive behavior of metal AM powders, detailed rheometry experiments have been conducted in Chapter 5. CPD module of P-STAC is used to simulate the rheometry of an industry grade AM powder (100-250microns Ti-6Al-4V), to determine a calibrated virtual avatar of the real AM powder (Chapter 6). This monodispersed virtual avatar is used to perform virtual spreading on smooth and rough substrates in Chapter 7. The effect of polydispersity in DEM modeling is studied in Chapter 8. A polydispersed virtual avatar of the aforementioned AM powder has been observed to provide better validation against single layer spreading experiments than the monodispersed virtual avatar. This experimentally validated polydispersed virtual avatar has been used to perform a battery of spreading simulations covering the range of spreader speeds. Then a machine learning enabled surrogate model, using back propagation neural network, has been trained to study the spreading results generated by P-STAC and provide much more data by performing regression. This surrogate model is used to generate spreading process maps linking the 3D printer inputs of spreader speeds to spread layer properties of roughness and porosity. Such maps (Chapters 7 and 8) can be used by a 3D-printer technician to determine the spreader speed setting which corresponds to the desired spread layer properties and has the maximum spread throughout. The tribosurface interactions encountered during the drilling of energy resource rocks which involve a rotary and impacting contact of the drill bit with the rock formation in the presence of drilling fluids have been studied in Part III. This problem involves sliding surfaces with fluid (drilling mud) and particulate media (intact and drilled rock particles). Again, like the AM powder, the particulate media, viz. the rock formation being drilled into, does not have a simple and a well-defined constitutive law. An index test detailed in ASTM D 5731 can be used as a characterization test while trying to model a rock using bonded particle DEM. A model to generate weak concrete-like virtual rock which can be considered to be a mathematical representation of a sandstone has been introduced in Chapter 10. Benchtop drilling experiments have been carried out on two sandstones (Castlegate sandstone from the energy rich state of Texas and Crab Orchard sandstone from Tennessee) in Chapter 11. Virtual drilling has been carried out on the aforementioned weak concrete-like virtual rock. The rate of penetration (RoP) of the drill bit has been found to be directly proportional to the weight on bit (WoB). The drilling in dry conditions resulted in a higher RoP than the one which involved the use of water as the drilling fluid. P-SATC with the bonded DEM and CFD modules was able to predict both these findings but only qualitatively (Chapter 11)

Este trabalho apresenta uma formulação do Método dos Elementos Discretos (MED) utilizando uma abordagem vetorial para o tratamento das rotações. As rotações são calculadas com a parametrização de Rodrigues. As principais contribuições do trabalho são: o cálculo dos deslocamentos tangentes utilizando o vetor das rotações incrementais da parametrização de Rodrigues; e, a integração do movimento de rotação utilizando o método leapfrog com as expressões da parametrização das rotações de Rodrigues. A formulação é apresentada para partículas esféricas e superelipsóides. O cálculo do deslocamento tangente, que é utilizado para o cálculo das forças de atrito, é feito a partir da velocidade angular da partícula. Em geral, o deslocamento tangente é calculado a partir da velocidade linear instantânea do ponto de contato. Aqui, o deslocamento do ponto de contato é dado pelo movimento da partícula, tanto de translação quanto de rotação. Apesar da abordagem por meio de rotações, é mostrado este cálculo pode ser feito sem o uso de tensores de segunda ordem. O movimento da partícula é descrito por uma abordagem incremental. É apresentada uma formulação do método de integração leapfrog com a utilização da expressão das rotações sucessivas da parametrização de Rodrigues. A detecção do contato entre superelipsóides é feita por um método do tipo \"vetor normal comum\", resolvido como um problema de minimização. Os resultados mostram que a parametrização de Rodrigues pode ser utilizada com método dos elementos discretos tanto para a execução da rotação quanto para o cálculo de grandezas que envolvem este tipo de movimento como o deslocamento tangente. / This work presents a formulation for Discrete Element Method (DEM) adopting a vector ap-proach to solve rotations. Herein, rotations are solved using Rodrigues parameterization. The main contributions of this work are: tangential displacements using the incremental rotation vector from Rodrigues parameterization, and integration of the rotation movement using leap-frog method and Rodrigues rotation tensor. The formulations are presented to spheres and superelliptical particles. Tangential displacements, which are used to get friction forces, are calculated through angular velocity. In most of DEM implementations, tangential displacements are calculated through the instantaneous linear velocity of the contact point. Instead, here the displacement of the contact point is given through the rotation of the particle. It is showed that the vector of in-cremental rotations can be calculated through the angular velocity. Particle movement is described using an updated Lagrangian approach. Leapfrog method is formulated in such a way to use the Rodrigues expression for successive rotations. Contact detection between superellipsoids is solved using a technic called \"common normal approach\", and it is solved as a minimization problem. The results show that the Rodrigues parameterization can be applied to discrete element method to both execute rotations and to evaluate physical quantities that are related to this kind of movement as tangential displacement.

No presente trabalho é apresentada uma versão do Método dos Elementos Discretos formado por barras (DEM) no estudo do colapso de estruturas. O Método dos Elementos Discretos foi introduzido, especialmente, para a simulação numérica de problemas de dano e fratura. Esse método tem habilidade natural para introduzir descontinuidades de uma maneira muito direta e intuitiva. Além disso, métodos discretos oferecem uma estrutura conveniente para dar conta da desordem da microestrutura do material por meio de modelos estatísticos. A versão do DEM utilizada neste trabalho consiste na discretização do contínuo em barras que formam uma treliça espacial regular, onde massas equivalentes são concentradas nos nós, e as rigidezes das barras são equivalentes ao contínuo que tentam representar. Leis uniaxiais de dano permitem modelar fratura e dano anisotrópico com relativa facilidade. Esta versão foi amplamente testada em diversos campos da Engenharia, entre eles, problemas dinâmicos, de impacto, geração e propagação de sismos, estudo de efeito de escala em rochas e concreto, análise da microestrutura de materiais. Este trabalho apresenta dois grandes temas, nos quais foram realizadas implementações no DEM que aumentam sua aplicabilidade. Também são implementadas modificações nas leis constitutivas antes utilizadas, e apresentadas, também, novas leis para dar flexibilidade na calibração dos modelos. São comparados os resultados utilizando as diversas leis na análise do efeito de escala de placas submetidas à tração. Também são analisados os resultados obtidos sob a óptica da teoria de escala multifractal. Neste campo, encontram-se respostas muito interessantes que explicam os mecanismos de fratura, assim como dão uma noção de que alterações deveriam ser realizadas no DEM para conseguir que o método fique completamente objetivo em relação à escala. Nesse processo, estudam-se diferentes formas de obter as dimensões fractais de placas de rocha submetidas à tração e é analisada a influência de alguns dos parâmetros do DEM, além da relação constitutiva utilizada. Finalmente, o DEM é introduzido dentro do sistema comercial Abaqus, com objetivo de resolver problemas com grande quantidade de graus de liberdade ou com as condições de contorno ou de carregamento muito complexos. Apresentam-se exemplos de validação e exemplos de aplicação que mostram as vantagens das inovações realizadas. / This paper presents a version of the Truss-like Discrete Element Method in the study of the collapse of structures. The discrete element method was introduced especially for numerical simulation of fracture and damage problems. This method has the natural ability to introduce discontinuities in a very direct and intuitive way. Moreover, discrete methods offer a convenient framework to account for the disorder of the material microstructure by means of statistical models. The truss-like Discrete Element Method (DEM) used in this work represents the continuum by means of a periodic spatial arrangement of bars with the masses lumped at their ends. The rigidity of the bars is equivalent to the continuum to trying to represent. Uniaxial damage Laws allow model fracture and anisotropic damage with relative ease. This version was widely tested in various engineering fields including: dynamics problems, impact, generation and propagation of earthquakes, study of scale effect in rock and concrete analysis of the microstructure of materials. This work presents two major issues in witch were performed DEM implementations that increase its applicability. To obtain a better description of the model modifications in the constitutive laws are implemented and new ones are presented. The scale effect results of plates of rock subjected to traction obtained to different laws are compared. These obtained results are examined under the Multifractal scaling law theory. In this field, very interesting answers that explain the mechanisms of fracture are found. They gives some notions of which changes should be made in DEM to obtain a fully scale objective method. In the process, different ways to obtain the fractal dimension of rock plates subjected to traction are studied. The influence of some DEM parameter and constitutive laws are also analyzed. Finally, the DEM has been implemented within the commercial system ABAQUS to solve problems with a large number of degrees of freedom or very complex contour or loading conditions. Presents examples of validation and application that show the benefits of innovations through.

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier le comportement à la rupture des matériaux fragiles avec une approche capable de relier l’amorçage de fissures à leurs propagations. On adopte la méthode des éléments discrets (DEM), avec le matériau composé d'un ensemble bidimensionnel régulier de particules en contact. Ceci qui nous permet de dériver une expression pour le facteur d'intensité de contraintes en fonction des forces et des déplacements relatifs des deux contacts adjacents à la pointe d’une fissure. Un critère de rupture classique, basé sur la ténacité du matériau, est ensuite adopté pour l'analyse de la propagation des fissures, représenté par la perte des forces de contact entre les particules. La vérification de la formulation est faite par la comparaison des simulations numériques à des solutions classiques de la mécanique de la rupture en mode I, mode II et mode mixte. Ensuite, on étend l’application du critère discret au comportement d’un matériau sain (non pré-fissuré), soumis à des contraintes homogènes, pour lequel on retrouve un critère de rupture du type Rankine. Le résultat final est un modèle discret simple totalement compatible avec les approches continues usuelles, et qui ne demande pas d’essais de calibration, typiques des approches discrètes conventionnelles. / The objective of this thesis is to study the fracture behavior of brittle materials by an approach which relates crack initiation to crack growth. We adopt the discrete element method (DEM) and we represent the material by a 2D regular set of particles in contact. This allows us to derive an expression for the stress intensity factor as a function of the forces and relative displacements of two adjacent contacts at the crack tip. A classical failure criterion, based on the material’s toughness, is then adopted for the analysis of crack propagation, represented by the loss of contacts forces between particles. The formulation is verified by the comparison of numerical simulations to classical solutions of fracture mechanics in mode I, mode II and mixed mode. Afterwards, we apply our discrete criterion to uncracked materials under homogenous stress conditions, obtaining a Rankine like behavior.. The work results in a simple discrete model which is totally compatible to continuum mechanics, where no calibration tests are required, in contrast to most of discrete approaches.

Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist die Simulation einer Wirkpaarung am Beispiel des innermaschinellen Transports von Stückgütern. Zur Schonung des Verarbeitungsgutes wird für das intermittierende Fördern ein neuartiger Bewegungsansatz betrachtet. Da sich der mit diesem Ansatz durchgeführte Prozess sehr sensitiv gegenüber den Eingangsparametern verhält, ist es notwendig, diesen zu simulieren, um somit eine stabile und robuste Bewegung zu synthetisieren. Als grundlegender Modellansatz wird die Diskrete Elemente Methode (DEM) gewählt, da diese es ermöglicht, den Kontakt von Starrkörpern realistisch abzubilden. Zur Umsetzung der Simulation wird die Modellbildung mit zwei unterschiedlichen Modellierungsumgebungen realisiert, die sich hinsichtlich der Umsetzung der DEM unterscheiden: Zum Einen mit Hilfe der kommerziellen Software MATLAB/Simulink und zum Anderen mit Hilfe der Open-Source-Software Woo DEM. Im Anschluss werden die damit erzeugten Modelle verifiziert und experimentell validiert, wodurch sich sowohl die Modellgüte als auch die Modelleignung ableitet. Dabei wird besonders auf die prozessentscheidende Rolle der Reibung eingegangen. Abschließend wird mit Hilfe des Vorzugsmodells an Hand zweier Beispiele die Modellanalyse vollzogen. Hierbei wird der neuartige Bewegungsansatz synthetisiert und simulativ hinsichtlich des Prozesserfolges überprüft. Dabei wird insbesondere auf die mit Hilfe des Modells quanitifizierbaren Prozessgrößen eingegangen. / The subject of this thesis deals with the simulation of an active unit demonstrated by the mechanical transport of pieced goods. To protect the processing goods, a novel motion approach for the intermittent transport is researched. Since the process performed with this approach is very sensitive to its input parameters, it is necessary to simulate it, with the aim to synthesize a stable and robust motion. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is chosen as the basic model approach, because it allows the realistic representation of rigid body contacts. To implement the simulation the modelling is realised with two different modelling environments, which differ in the implementation of the DEM: Firstly, using the commercial software MATLAB/Simulink and secondly with the help of the open-source-software Woo DEM. Following that the generated models are verified and experimentally validated, whereby both the model goodness and the model suitability are derived. Special attention is dedicated to the role of the process relevant friction. Eventually, the model analysis is carried out with the help of two examples using the preferred model. Here, the novel motion approach is synthesized and verified by simulation in terms of process success. In particular it will address process variables, which are quantifiable because of the model.

abstract: The current research is based on the principles of three-dimensional discrete element method (3D – DEM) through simulations, by using heat transfer models in EDEM, to investigate the effects of fill level, rotation rate and particle size on the steady-state conduction heat transfer in rotary drums. The high heat and mass transfer rates obtained through rotary drums make them very useful for powder mixing and heating processes in metallurgical, cement, mining, pharmaceutical, detergent and other particulate processing applications. However, these complex processes are difficult to model and operate since the particles can have a wide range of properties, and there is currently no way to predict the optimal operating conditions for a given material. Steady-state heat transfer by conduction forms the basis for understanding other steady-state and unsteady-state heat transfer in a rotary drum – conduction, convection and radiation. Statistical analysis is carried out to determine the effects of these process parameters and find optimal operating conditions, which will thereby improve the heat transfer efficiency in rotary drums. A stainless-steel drum with a diameter of 6 inches and a length of 3 inches was modeled in EDEM with silica beads of sizes 2 mm, 3 mm and 4 mm at fill levels of 10%, 17.5% and 25%, and at rotation rates of 2 rpm, 5 rpm and 10 rpm. It was found that the heating uniformity increased with decreasing particle size, decreasing fill level and increasing rotation rate. This research is the first step towards studying the other heat transfer modes and various other process parameters. Better understanding of the various heat transfer modes, when used in combination for heating the particles, will be beneficial in improving the operating efficiency, reducing material costs and leading to significant energy conservation on a global scale. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Chemical Engineering 2020

Background: Snow simulation can be used to increase the visual experience in applications such as games. Previously, snow has been simulated in real-time through two-dimensional grid based methods, which limits itself in the aspect of dynamic interactions. To widen the scope of what games current game engines can produce, an approach to simulating the behavior of snow with non-recoverable compression and phase transition is proposed. Objective: The objective of this thesis is to construct a particle simulation model to simulate the behaviors of snow in regards to compression and phase transition in real-time. The solution is limited to the behavior of deposited snow, and will therefore not consider the aspect of snowfall and realistic visualization. Method: The method consists of a particle simulation with incorporated functionality of compression and thermodynamics. Test cases based on compression, phase transition and performance have been conducted. Results and Conclusions: The results show that the model captures phase transition with the phases of snow, ice, and water. Compression by external forces and self-weight is also captured, but with missing behavior in terms of bond creation between grains. Performance measurements indicates that the simulation is applicable for real-time applications. It is concluded that the approach is a good stepping stone for future improvements of snow simulation. / Bakgrund: Snösimulering kan användas för att öka den visuella upplevelsen i applikationer såsom spel. Tidigare har simulering i realtid gjorts genom tvådimensionella rutnätsmetoder, vilka begränsar den dynamiska interaktionsaspekten. För att bredda omfattningen av vilka spel aktuella spelmotorer kan producera föreslås en metod för att simulera beteendet av snö med icke-återhämtande kompression och fasövergång. Syfte: Syftet med denna avhandling är att konstruera en partikel-simuleringsmodell för att simulera beteendet av snö i förhållande till kompression och fasövergång i realtid. Lösningen är begränsad till ackumulerad snö, och tar därmed inte upp snöfallaspeketen och realistisk visualisering. Metod: Metoden består av en partikel-simuleringsmetod med inbyggd funktionalitet av kompression och termodynamik. Testfall baserade på kompression, fasövergång och prestanda har utförts. Resultat och Slutsatser: Resultaten visar att fasövergång fångas av modellen med faser av snö, is och vatten. Kompression av självvikt samt externa krafter har också fångats, dock med saknat beteende av bandskapande mellan snökorn. Prestandamätningar indikerar att simuleringen är lämplig för realtidsapplikationer. Slutsatsen är att tillvägagångssättet är ett steg i rätt riktning inför framtida implementationer av snösimulering.

<p>Biorefineries which seek to convert biomass into ethanol face many different challenges, and among them, mechanical failure of equipment is common. Unfortunately, the resulting downtime can significantly reduce the profitability and the viability of bioethanol plants. One important piece of mechanical equipment in this setting is the compression screw feeder, which is used both to convey and compress biomass into pressurized chemical reactors. However, due to the variability of feedstock properties, this feeding operation is challenging. An analytical model for predicting the operational steady-state torque of a compression screw feeder can assist the identification of optimal processing conditions, as well as predict and prevent equipment failure.<br></p> <p>Since these models have not yet been proposed, this thesis restricts attention to milled corn stover and investigates the application of the discrete element method (DEM) and analytical techniques to develop predictive models for the stresses and torques developed inside a compression screw feeder. Specifically, DEM simulations are used to identify and study the stresses within the different sections of a representative compression screw feeder for three backpressures, three screw pitches, and three internal friction angles. Using these numerical results, a suite of analytical models is then developed to predict the operational torque required to drive the screw feeder. In this thesis, the DEM results are also used in lieu of experimental data to provide a point of comparison for the models.</p> <p>The analytical models predict stresses on the correct order of magnitude and are not prohibitively sensitive to input properties, but the operational steady-state torque is overpredicted by the model in all cases. The mispredictions of the model are likely due to the assumption of constant material properties along the densification process, and the assumption of hydrostatic conditions throughout the compression screw feeder (especially near the boundaries). Despite these limiting assumptions, the proposed procedure for calculating the torque provides a first-order estimate of the required screw torque, demonstrates the sensitivity of the screw feeder to different inputs, and outlines the necessary steps to improve the model. The DEM simulations proved an invaluable tool in analyzing the behavior of bulk material within a compression screw feeder, but more experiments and simulations (possibly using the finite element method) are needed to further understand the biomass feeding operation.</p>