Gustaf Gustafsson

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic Simulation of Iron Ore Pellets Flow

In this work the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used to simulate iron ore pellets flow. A continuum material model describing the yield strength, elastic and plastic parameters for pellets as a granular material is used in the simulations. The most time consuming part in the SPH method is the contact search of neighboring nodes at each time step. In this study, a position code algorithm for the contact search is presented. The cost of contact searching for this algorithm is of the order of Nlog2N, where N is the number of nodes in the system. The SPH‐model is used for simulation of iron ore pellets silo flow. A two dimensional axisymmetric model of the silo is used in the simulations. The simulation results are compared with data from an experimental cylindrical silo, where pellets are discharged from a concentric outlet. Primary the flow pattern is compared.

Mechanical characterization and modelling of the temperature-dependent impact behaviour of a biocompatible poly(L-lactide)/poly(ε-caprolactone) polymer blend.

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a ductile, bioabsorbable polymer that has been employed as a blend partner for poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA). An improvement of the material strength and impact resistance of PLLA/PCL polymer blends compared to pure PLLA has been shown previously. To use numerical simulations in the design process of new components composed of the PLLA/PCL blend, a constitutive model for the material has to be established. In this work, a constitutive model for a PLLA/PCL polymer blend is established from the results of compressive tests at high and low strain rates at three different temperatures, including the body temperature. Finite element simulations of the split Hopkinson pressure bar test using the established constitutive model are carried out under the same condition as the experiments. During the experiments, the changes in the diameter and thickness of the specimens are captured by a high-speed video camera. The accuracy of the numerical model is tested by comparing the simulation results, such as the stress, strain, thickness and diameter histories of the specimens, with those measured in the experiments. The numerical model is also validated against an impact test of non-homogenous strains and strain rates. The results of this study provide a validated numerical model for a PLLA/PCL polymer blend at strain rates of up to 1800 s(-1) in the temperature range between 22°C and 50°C.