Influence of granular coefficient of rolling friction on accumulation characteristics

The influence of friction coefficient, in terms of fixed static friction coefficient (sfc) and different rolling friction coefficients (rfc), on the accumulation characteristics of particle, including the angle of repose and accumulation body, is simulated using the discrete element method. The sfc of a particle is measured with a home-made cant instrument, and a linear equation is developed to describe the relationship between the rfc and the angle of repose. Results show that rfc has obviously an influence on the accumulation characteristics of particles: the angle of repose of particles increases as rfc increases, the gap between the boundary circle and the continuous circle decreases with increasing rfc. Based on the change of rotational kinetic energy in the process of accumulation of particles, the above results can be explained. And the linear equation can provide ideas for numerical measure of granular rfc. For some difficultly measured parameters of bulk materials, the simulation of accumulation process is a valid virtual calibration test.