Microdynamic analysis of ellipsoidal particle flow in a shear cell

Abstract

This paper studies rheological properties of ellipsoidal particles in a model annular shear cell and compares them with the relevant parameters obtained for spherical particles under similar conditions using the discrete element method (DEM). Some important microdynamic variables such as velocity, coordination number, volume fraction and stress were considered. It was found that there are some differences between the spherical and ellipsoidal particles in terms of these properties. The feature was explained by the microscopic structures at particle scale such as those related to particle alignment and interparticle forces