Particulate Models for Powder Compaction

摘要

The paper describes the development and application of a novel combined finite element and discrete element simulation applied to powder compaction. The discrete component of the scheme accounts for gross particle movement that occurs during the particle rearrangement phase and during the subsequent compaction. The deformation of each particle is computed through a structural analysis on each particle where the load on each particle is applied through the tooling and interaction between particles. The approach is capable of incorporating a range of material models that may be applied to mixture systems. These features make the approach general and unique. Case studies are carried out to illustrate the capability to handle irregular particles, compaction in stepped tooling and mixtures. The use of homogenization as a means of displaying results and as a method of connecting with a continuum model is also presented. The approach is demonstrated to give qualitative agreement with observed trends.