Particle Size Effect on DEM Simulation of Pressures Applied on a Cylindrical Silo with Hopper

This work is a contribution to the comprehension of the particle upscaling effect on DEM simulation of cylindrical silos. Three silo models have been simulated with different hopper outlets and inclination angles. Huge calculations of 11 simulation series with a different scaling factor are considered for every model. Pressures applied on silo walls remain quite identical with particle upscaling. Besides, their curves are in agreement with Eurocode standard. The computing time is significantly reduced as well as the number of particles, where the simulation speed is increased up to 12 times by just scaling particle radius two times. The total bulk density was not affected by particle escalation and its value remains unchanged

Numerical simulations of pressures applied on a cylindrical silo with hopper due to a granular material by using FEM and DEM

In this work, we have simulated the behavior of the granular flow of dry wheat material inside a cylindrical steel silo with a concentric hopper during the filling and emptying process. Theinfluence on the wall was studied by obtaining the pressures and stresses using the Finite Element Method (MEF) and Discrete Element Method (DEM). The obtained results by the analytical formulas of EUROCODE, the FEM and DEM are compared. The analyzed results include the vertical distributions of pressures that the ensiled material exerted on the silo walls and the distributions of normal and tangential stresses under extreme actions of emptying and filling. The results show that the DEM simulation is more realistic even by using the upscaling technique with a particle scale factor of 10. The pressures obtained by simulations are close to those obtained by EC, and the stresses are almost identical