Silo discharge: influence of the particle shape on the velocity profiles

Abstract

Experiments on the discharge of a silo with an inclined outlet are performed using flattened seeds in order to evaluate the validity of a previous theoretical formulation developed in our work group [1]. In that description, funnel flow regime is assumed to be based on a free fall parabolic arc. The shape of this arc is described with a parameter which is the only one involved in the flow rate formulation. An experimental analysis of the behavior of this parameter is carried out based on the geometry and shape of the grains within the silo. Also, video analysis of the silo discharge is performed in order to investigate the velocity profiles at the outlet of the hopper for these non-spherical particles. Experiments are contrasted with analytical predictions derived from the proposed formulation in order to assess and discuss its validity for the case of flattened particles.