Particle Modelling with the Discrete Element Method: A success story of PARDEM (www.pardem.eu)

Bulk handling, transport and processing of particulate materials such as powders and granules are integral to a wide range of industrial processes in many fields [1] and [3] or natural, geophysical phenomena and hazards like landslides [3]. Particulate systems are difficult to handle and display unpredictable behaviour, which represents a great challenge for both design and operation of unit operations and plants, but also for the research community of Powders and Grains [5] and [6]. Granular materials and powders consist of discrete particles such as individual sand-grains, agglomerates (comprising of many primary particles), or bonded solid materials like sandstone, ceramics, or some metals or polymers sintered during additive manufacturing. The primary particles can be as small as nano-metres, micro-metres, or millimetres [6] covering multiple scales in size and a variety of mechanical interaction mechanisms. Those interactions include friction and a variety of cohesive forces [8] and [9], which becomes more and more important the smaller the particles are. All these particle systems have a particulate, usually disordered, inhomogeneous and often anisotropic micro-structure, which is at the core of many of the challenges one faces when trying to understand powder technology and granular matter