Nonlinear modelling and simulation of vibrocompaction processes

This paper considers a kind of industrial process where a granular material is compacted by using vibration machines. In particular, attention is focused on the vibrocompaction of quartz agglomerates, where the vibration is produced by rotation of unbalanced electric motors. A four degree-of-freedom nonlinear model, which includes contact and impacts, is proposed to predict the behaviour of the system under study. A relevant aspect of the model is the introduction of a nonlinear, yet relatively simple, constitutive law for the compacting material, which is able to capture the essential features of compaction. The main usefulness of the proposed model is to investigate how different parameters of the industrial process affect the final level of compaction achieved, as is illustrated by numerically solving the equations of motion for several sets of parameter values.