Numerical Simulation and Analysis of Vibrating Rice Filling Based on EDEM Software

Abstract

An automatic rice-filling device for lotus root with glutinous rice was developed based on the process of artificial filling. In order to find the best parameters for the vibrating rice-filling device—feeding speed, filling height, funnel diameter, amplitude, and frequency—so as to reduce the time and improve the mass of rice filling, EDEM software (EDEM 2022) was used to conduct numerical simulation of the process and analyze the influence of various factors on the rice-filling time. The optimal combination of parameters for the highest quality of rice filling was determined as follows: rice feeding speed, 1.4 kg/s; height of rice filling, 30 mm; funnel diameter, 55 mm; amplitude, 0.6 mm; frequency, 50 Hz; and filling time, 3.4 s. The simulation experiment results are in good agreement with the prototype experiment, achieving the purpose of improving the efficiency of rice filling. This study provides theoretical guidance for research on an automatic rice-filling device for lotus root with glutinous rice.