Experimental investigation of segregation in a rotating drum with non-spherical particles

The focus of the current investigation is to study the influence of particles' shape on segregation of bi-disperse mixture of particles in a rotating drum. The effects of various particle parameters such as shape, size, density and size ratio are investigated along with system parameters like time, rotational speed. The results show the shape of both coarse and fine particles influence mixing. For the coarse particles, decreasing trend of extent of radial segregation as follows: sphere > oblate > prolate > elongated-needle. For the fine particle, the trend follows as sphere > cube > prolate. These trends are strongly correlated to the mono-dispersed random packing density and particle angularity. The result shows that coarse particles with higher mono-dispersed random packing density show less segregation whereas fine particles with greater angularity improves mixing. Segregation can be controlled in multiple scenarios in industries by choosing the appropriate shape of the particles.

Automated summary

The current investigation focuses on studying the impact of particle shape on the segregation of a bi-disperse mixture of particles in a rotating drum. Various particle parameters such as shape, size, density, and size ratio, as well as system parameters like time and rotational speed, are examined. The results indicate that both the shape of coarse and fine particles influence the mixing process. The choice of particle shape can be used to control segregation in different industrial scenarios.