A numerical study of die filling using a coupled discrete element method and computational fluid dynamics

Abstract

In this paper, die filling from a stationary shoe in vacuum and in air was analysed using a coupled discrete element method (DEM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code in which the powder is modelled using DEM while the air is analysed using CFD, and the airparticle interaction is considered. The influence of particle size and size distribution on the flow behaviour was also explored. It has been demonstrated that the coupled DEM/CFD is capable of simulating the complex interaction between the air and the powder during die filling. The numerical simulations have revealed that the presence of air during die filling has a significant impact on the powder flow behaviour, especially for the system with smaller particle sizes