Grain Compaction
Application ID: 145401
Grain compaction is the process by which granular material is placed in a container and compressed with an external pressure. It can be used to increase the packing density and alter the mechanical and thermal properties of the resultant samples, and it is thus a crucial step in many manufacturing applications — especially in powder metallurgy and battery calendaring. Simulating grain compaction enables accurate prediction of the evolving packing fraction and provides a quantitative assessment of its dependence on compaction pressure.
In this model, 5000 grains are released into a cylindrical container, and a constant external pressure is applied to the top wall (called the piston) that compresses the grains underneath. The piston's motion is specified using a force balance equation: a second-order 1D equation. A Parametric Sweep study step is used to study the effect of the pressure on various qualities of the resultant sample, including its packing fraction and height.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.