The effects of frequency and amplitude of vibration on the mixing and segregation processes in granular materials

Abstract

Abstract The mixing and segregation process of almost identical size binary steel-glass mixture within a vertically vibrated container are investigated in this study. The container is designed to allow only one layer of granules inside. In this study, the image processing techniques and particles tracking methods are employed to track the convection flow of granular materials. Six different amounts of frequency (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 50 Hz) for certain amplitudes are used to study the effects of miscellaneous vibration conditions on the velocity fields of moving beads. The granular bed was divided into three horizontal parts and a separate study was provided for each one. The discrete-element method and EDEM software are employed for simulating the response of steel beads under 2D vertical vibration. Good agreements between simulated and experimental results have been presented in the current work. There are one or two convection cells generated in the vibrated bed for all tests, and the amount of amplitude was the most important factor in determining the number of these cells. The heavier particles tend to move toward the convection cells centers within the container unlike the lighter particles. The average velocity of steel beads increased with amplitude, while it decreased by increasing the frequency of vibration. In addition, the steel beads concentration in the middle region of the container increased with the vibration time.