Course Description
The course aims towards giving an introduction to the mechanics of granular materials and bulk solids. Granular materials, despite being commonly handled in many industrial situations, are far from being well understood. In addition, flow of these materials is commonly observed in many geophysical situations.
Through this course, the students shall be exposed to various interesting behaviours these materials exhibit. The two commonly used methods to model these materials will be discussed: the discrete, particle based modeling approach as well as continuum modelling in different flow regimes. Special attention will be given to a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of the discrete element method simulations and its applications to a variety of problems. The students would be exposed to latest research in the field and would gain hands on experience by means of course projects and assignments.
Course Content
- Introduction to granular materials and their rich behaviour, inter-particle forces and fluid particle interactions
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Discrete element method for granular simulations; Hard and soft particle models; Contact force modelling
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Algorithm for soft and hard particle methods; Calculation of various continuum properties from the data
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Examples of some fundamental insights obtained from DEM; Limitation of DEM simulations
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Granular solids: Quasi-static regime, Static properties of a granular piles, Pressure distribution in container
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Theory of slow flows: Coulomb yield condition, Mohr’s Circle, Rankine states, Flow through orifice, hoppers and wedge shaped bunkers
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Rapid flow of smooth, inelastic grains in simple geometries (Hydrodynamic description of rapid granular flows, Heuristic theory and introduction to Kinetic theory of inelastic gases)
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Dense granular flow rheology, 3D viscoplastic rheological model, extension to the rheology of granular mixtures
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Surface flows of granular materials: Flow over inclined plane and in rotating cylinders and heaps
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Mixing and segregation of granular mixtures
Course Audience
UG/PG students interested in the field of bulk solids handing and processing
Outcomes of this Course
At the end of the course, the students shall be able to understand and explain the rich behaviour of granular materials. They will be able to to use basic concepts of solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and transport phenomena to successfully tackle problems of granular mechanics using both analytical and computational techniques.