The exchange of fines between carriers in adhesive particle mixing: A study using DEM simulation

•The transfer of fines between carriers in adhesive particle mixing was investigated.•Impact angle, kinetic energy, and interface energy between particles are critical.•Different transfer regimes are distinguished.

This study employs DEM simulations to investigate the transfer of fine particles between carrier particles, which is one of the important mechanisms governing adhesive particle mixing. Single collisions between a carrier coated with fines and a non-coated carrier were simulated, in which the interaction between particles was modelled using the JKR theory. Detailed post-impact analysis was carried out to characterise the transfer mechanism and the effects of interface energy between particles, impact velocity and impact angle on the transfer process. It was found that fines are transferred between carriers and are restructured with different patterns according to the relative magnitude of the kinetic energy and the interface energies of particles, both between fines and between fine–carrier. The impact angle, which is closely related to mixer type, has a significant influence on the transfer of fines when the kinetic energy is able to be dissipated into adhesive bonds between fines (which strength is characterised by the corresponding interface energy). The correlation of the particle properties (e.g. interface energies), the processing parameters (e.g. the impact velocity), and the type of mixer (e.g. the impact angle) in characterising the transfer mechanism is established.

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