Effects of dynamic fragmentation on the impact force exerted on rigid barrier: centrifuge modelling

Bi-dispersity is a prerequisite for grain-size segregation, which transports the largest particles to the flow front. These large and inertial particles can fragment upon impacting a barrier. The amount of fragmentation during impact strongly influences the force exerted on a rigid barrier. Centrifuge modelling was adopted to replicate the stresses for studying the effects of bi-dispersity in a granular assembly and dynamic fragmentation on the impact force exerted on a model rigid barrier. To study the effects of bi-dispersity, the ratio between the diameters of small and large particles (δ s /δ l ), characterizing the particle-size distribution (PSD), was varied as 0.08, 0.26, and 0.56. The volume fraction of the large particles was kept constant. A δ s /δ l tending towards unity characterizes inertial flow that exerts sharp impulses, and a diminishing δ s /δ l characterizes the progressive attenuation of these sharp impulses by the small particles. Flows dominated by grain-contact stresses (δ s /δ l < 0.26), as characterized by the Savage number, are effective at attenuating dispersive stresses of the large particles, which are responsible for reducing dynamic fragmentation. By contrast, flows dominated by grain-inertial stresses (δ s /δ l > 0.26) exhibit up to 66% more impulses and 4.3 times more fragmentation. Dynamic fragmentation of bi-disperse flows impacting a rigid barrier can dissipate about 30% of the total flow energy.